Dry
by BreakingFable
Summary: Jeff is a slave to Gangrel, bound by the blood he was forced to drink years ago. After years of being abused by the vampire, can a mysterious stranger help him break his curse? Jeff/Matt Hardy, Gangrel, Edge, Christian
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Anyone else think the New Brood is an extremely underused subject in fanfiction? Anyone? **_**Anyone**_**? (clears throat) Well, um, anyway. When coming across an old clip of Gangrel, Matt, and Jeff in a match from years back, I thought to myself, "Oh, what I could do with these three characters." And then, it all turned into a ridiculous epic in my head. **

**Voila. The epic. Enjoy. **

**WWE owns everything in this story (except for the likenesses of the wrestlers who have passed from their employment), and will soon come to take over the entire free world. It is an unfortunate, but true, fact. Yes, I believe we must all accustom ourselves to PG living. **

**Note Regarding Timelines****: When I refer to something as "present day", I'm pretending Jeff is still with the WWE. Not that I have anything against TNA, folks! **

**(**_WWF No Mercy pay-per-view, 1999_):

The show had ended less than an hour ago. Interviews had been given, cursory small-talk had been made. Praise for a hard-won victory had been humbly, gratefully received.

Now, finally, Gangrel stood in the comforting solitude of his locker room.

He was growing hungry, and restless. Soon, he would have to feed, he realized.

But not yet.

Sighing heavily, the enigmatic blonde leaned bonelessly against the wall, waiting with all the patience of a skilled predator. In many ways, that was what he was.

He thought about what he intended to do tonight, thought about the consequences should he succeed. He closed his eyes, a tiny smirk pulling the corners of his mouth upwards. He'd waited in silence for so long; now, finally, he would be rewarded for his dutiful patience.

Suddenly, loud laughter broke into his thoughts, a raucous contrast to the all-encompassing silence that had hung heavy a moment before. Opening his eyes, Gangrel turned his attention to Matt and Jeff Hardy, his new favorites. Backing into the shadows further, he watched as his young protégés celebrated the victory they'd won earlier in the evening.

They had triumphed in the Terri Invitational Tournament, a foolish sham of a match, pitting Matthew and Jeffrey up against his former disciples, Edge and Christian. The thought of the two past Brood members caused Gangrel to curl his lip in derision and anger.

Fists clenched, he moved deeper into the shadows, ever-silent.

He'd liked nothing about tonight. The contest's stipulations had been nothing short of ridiculous. Two tag teams, vying for a bag supposedly filled with cash, and the diva Terri's "services". Matthew and Jeffrey should not have been forced to compete in such a ludicrous debacle. They were too talented to be taking part in such idiotic matches.

Though, he had to admit, the night had actually yielded good things for the Hardy brothers in the end. They had been given a stage upon which to display their considerable talent. They had shown the world that they were capable of defeating his former disciples. And, perhaps most importantly, they had shown themselves capable of earning his respect.

Gangrel's dark blue eyes observed Matt and Jeff closely, taking in every change of expression, every shift of muscle beneath their ring-worn attire. They were laughing, joking around. Reveling in this moment, and in their beauty, and their youth. It was now, Gangrel mused, that their blood would taste the sweetest.

His gaze fell onto Matt. The older Hardy brother's full, curly black hair fell in waves over his shoulders, framing an earnest and handsome face.

"I can't believe we won", he was saying, grinning as he regarded his younger brother.

"Of course we won", replied Jeff, smirking, "Edge and Christian are tools."

Matt just shook his head. He was unable to wipe the smile off of his face.

Gangrel leered, watching his young minions with amusement. When their conversation turned to less interesting things, like friends and relatives and their hometown, he allowed his mind to wander.

"_Jeffrey_…" His gaze turned to the younger brother. A half-smile immediately graced his pallid countenance. Both Hardys were lovely to look upon, but Jeff was a work of art. His trim, lithe little body was as agile as a cat, and perfect for in-ring work. He had a pale face with finely-chiseled features, both delicate and beautiful. His large, expressive green eyes were a force that drew anyone who happened to glance his way into them.

Gangrel loved to look at Jeffrey.

He smiled to himself, one of his fangs catching on the soft tissue inside his lip. He licked a tiny drop of blood out of the wound. Sighing softly, he closed his eyes, enjoying the sharp, metallic taste.

"I think I broke my ass when I jumped off of that ladder", pouted Jeff.

Silently, Gangrel slipped out from his corner, and made his way towards the brothers. Neither of them noticed his soundless approach.

Matt frowned. "Well, I've told you to be more careful, Jeffro. One of these days, you're gonna break yourself in two, doing one of your crazy stunts."

The younger Hardy had never appreciated being told what to do. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know, I've heard it all before, Matt. A thousand times, I might add."

Matt's frown deepened. He shook his head, sighing. "I just wish you would listen to me, Jeff. Just once."

Jeff glared. "Well did it ever occur to you that I don't listen to a word you say because you patronize me and treat me like a retarded child? I mean, c'mon Matt, give me a break. I'm a grown man, but you nag me every single night of my life. It's making me look bad in front of the other guys, you constantly on my ass, telling me what to do out there and how to wrestle-"

"I nag you every night because you _never listen_, Jeff!", Matt said, his tone heated, "If you'd just take some of my advice, I wouldn't have to keep drilling it into your thick skull, now would I? And I don't patronize you. I simply remind you to be careful, because, too often, I think you take unnecessary risks out there."

Jeff stood, glowering down at his older brother. "But you're _wrong_! Every risk I take is _absolutely_ necessary! The fans wouldn't give two shits about the Hardy Boyz if it weren't for the stunts we pull! We _have_ to take risks out there, or we'd lose our spot. You know, as well as anyone, that that's the nature of the job."

"Whatever, Jeff", sighed Matt, his tone weary. The older Hardy rose, towel in hand. "I'm not fighting tonight. I won't do it." He stalked off towards the showers then, an annoyed glare on his face.

Jeff let out a harsh sigh, watching him go. Eventually, he and his brother would learn to see eye-to-eye on this issue. They'd have to, he knew, or they simply wouldn't be able to work together as a tag team anymore. Jeff ran a hand back through his multi-colored locks, working out stubborn tangles. Sitting on the bench, flexing bruised and sore muscles, he thought over the match once again.

Suddenly, the young Hardy felt a hand drop onto his shoulder. He gasped, his muscles tensing in alarm. He hadn't heard anyone approach.

"Oh, Gangrel, it's you! You scared the shit out of me."

"I apologize, Jeffrey", said the older man, "I simply came by to congratulate the two of you on a well-fought match." A small smirk twisted his thin lips.

Jeff forced a smile. He was in no mood to deal with Gangrel's weirdness right now. Something about the guy just gave him the creeps.

"Uh, thanks, man", Jeff said, silently praying that Matt would hurry the fuck up and get out of the shower _now_.

Gangrel sat down on the bench next to him, his bright blue eyes utterly intent on the young Hardy's face.

Jeff cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.

"So, um, I don't suppose you went across the hall and congratulated Edge and Christian? They kicked ass tonight", Jeff asked, trying perhaps too hard to sound casual.

Gangrel's expression abruptly darkened. "Edge and Christian are dead to me", he said lowly, "And I, surely, am dead to them. They have happily managed to avoid me these last weeks. If they are at all intelligent, they will continue to stay away."

Jeff unconsciously drew back, immediately chastising himself for mentioning the two ex-Brood members. He knew it was a sensitive subject, as Gangrel, Edge and Christian were involved in a not-so-private war at the moment. He couldn't help himself, however. Edge and Christian were friends; he'd had to at least put in a good word for them. Jeff sighed inwardly. This rift between Gangrel and his former minions was doing no one any good, least of all he or his brother, who often got caught in the crossfire of the older man's wrath. All he could hope for was a swift end to their conflict, he supposed.

Gangrel watched the young Hardy's reactions closely, observing the tense muscles, the shy, conflicted gaze. The scent of Jeffrey's fresh, young blood saturated the close air of the locker room, intoxicating the already over-worked senses of the beleaguered vampire.

"I apologize, Jeffrey", he said softly, "I did not mean to be cross with you." He was staring at the color of Jeff's eyes. Flecks of yellow and forest green accenting purest hazel. Lovely.

The young Hardy ran a hand self-consciously back through his unkempt mane. "Um, it's okay", he replied, "I really shouldn't have said anything." Jeff's pensive gaze moved quickly towards the showers, before dropping quickly back to his lap. As he was wont to do, Jeff was fidgeting nervously, picking relentlessly at the fraying knee of his dark, baggy wrestling pants.

Gangrel reached out, almost hesitantly at first, and pushed a stray lock of sweaty hair away from the younger man's pale face. Jeff froze at the contact, obviously uncomfortable with the other man's closeness.

The older man's eyes began to roam languidly over Jeff's slim waist, his bare chest, his pale neck. A slow smile spread across his face, revealing two sharp, elongated incisors. The open scrutiny did not go unnoticed. Jeff began to subtly back away, not liking where this appeared to be going.

Ignoring the Enigma's obvious distress, Gangrel persisted, gently caressing the younger man's cheek, his jawline, the length of his neck.

Swallowing hard, Hardy continued to move away from Gangrel's invasive ministrations. Not knowing what else to do, he made a desperate ploy to change the subject.

"So, um, I- that is, Matt and I, we wanted to talk to you about incorporating some new moves, possibly. We, uh, um, had some ideas… to… show you…" He trailed off, distracted by his mentor's penetrating blue stare. Those eyes gripped him, sending him into a stupor that he neither desired nor understood. Paralyzed, Jeff gazed dumbly at the other man.

Gangrel leaned forward, his every movement as smooth and noiseless as a snake gliding through tall grass. Jeff couldn't take his eyes away, though he desperately, desperately wanted to. He wanted to tell him to stop.

The vampire moved in closer and wrapped one arm around his prey to keep him from escaping, though Jeff wasn't struggling. He wasn't able to.

Gangrel sighed contentedly as he leaned down and breathed in Jeff's musk as if it were fine cologne. The young Hardy smelled of sweat and tobacco, and the sweet reek of fear. He looked beautiful, his glazed green eyes fighting to stay focused, his skin flushed, his colorful hair sticking to his face and cascading down his back.

The vampire wanted more than anything to take his time with this, to spend all night drinking Jeff's heady lifeblood. He knew, however, that Matthew would be out of the shower very soon. He had to hurry, if he were going to accomplish his task.

Gangrel gazed down at his victim who lay back, unmoving, in his arms. He brushed a stray lock of hair away from Jeff's face. "So beautiful", he whispered reverently, a small half-smile on his pale face.

Jeff stared in mute horror, praying that Matt, or anyone, would find him and save him.

Gangrel closed his eyes then, bowing his head as if in concentration. A few moments passed, and there was only the sound of Jeff's labored breathing, and the distant din of the shower.

Hardy watched the older man close his eyes and seemingly enter into a trance-like state. As soon as Gangrel wasn't looking, he immediately began attempting escape. Fear gripped him as he tried desperately, over and over again, to instruct his paralyzed muscles to obey his commands. Desperation set in when he realized that he couldn't even open his mouth to scream for help. Jeff didn't understand how Gangrel was doing what he was doing, nor did he understand what he wanted from him. That lack of knowledge terrified him.

Suddenly, Gangrel raised his head and opened his eyes, and he looked… different. More animalistic. Jeff immediately noticed that his once-blue pupils were now a yellow-gold hue. He also saw that the fangs Hardy had previously thought to be cosmetic had lengthened, to the point that they were sinking into the older man's bottom lip.

Gangrel smiled as he saw panic vaguely touching the young Hardy's spell-bound gaze.

"I know you are frightened", Gangrel said softly, "But you needn't be. You belong to me now, Jeffrey; I will protect you."

Jeff couldn't look away from those terrible, feline-gold eyes. They paralyzed him, made him feel weak. The young Hardy tried frantically to struggle, to hit Gangrel in his grinning face, to plead for mercy. All he could do, however, was lay there like a helpless child.

The older man smiled affectionately down at his pale victim.

Then he sank his teeth in.

_(Present Day, 2010, a hotel)_:

Jeff opened his eyes with a start. He was in bed, it was the middle of the night. He was dreaming. Again.

That same fucking dream.

Matt, the locker room, Gangrel, the night after the Terri Invitational Tournament…

Worst fucking night of his life.

Groaning, knowing that he'd never be able to get back to sleep now, he pushed himself up and slowly got out of bed. Glancing at the digital display of his alarm clock, he groaned again, and ran a hand over his weary eyes.

1:36 in the morning.

As he walked to the bathroom to get himself a drink of water, he realized that this had been happening far too often lately. He'd been having too many sleepless nights, and for what? Old ghosts? Bad memories? Fever-dreams?

The truth was, Jeff didn't want to think about it. Because the moment he began trying to contemplate what had been done to him over the years, he would go insane.

Jeff entered the bathroom and turned on the light, wincing at the sudden brightness. When his eyesight had sufficiently recovered, he grabbed a plastic cup and filled it to the brim with water. He drank greedily, chugging the liquid down.

He felt no better once he'd quenched his thirst. He was exhausted, yet he knew he'd be unable to sleep.

It had been almost 5 months now since he'd last seen Gangrel. 5 months. It was the longest period of time the vampire had ever left him to his own devices. He hadn't called, hadn't stopped by for one of the "surprise visits" that Jeff always dreaded. The young Hardy couldn't help but wonder if he was dead. And yet, deep down, Jeff knew he was not. Despite the other man's absence, the young Hardy couldn't help but feel as if Gangrel was always watching over his shoulder, that unsettling smirk twisting his thin lips.

Shuddering, Jeff sat down on his bed and turned on the lamp. He opened the nightstand drawer and fished around for the remote to the TV.

The young Hardy heaved a great sigh. He leaned back on the bed, readying himself for a long night of watching infomercials and Chuck Norris flicks.

Suddenly, the air distorted, like heat coming off of baking asphalt.

"_Jeffrey_." A familiar voice whispered, laughing. Jeff hated that voice.

The young Hardy shot up, straight as an arrow, his eyes wide as saucers. He knew exactly what that meant. Tense as a cornered animal, his gaze roamed the room, waiting to find the shifting darkness that would accompany the vampire's arrival and move with him like a protective blanket.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Hello, Jeffrey." A voice like spun silk sounded directly in his ear, making him gasp with fright. The young Hardy felt cold, clammy fingers running through his long hair. Jeff turned around slowly, eyes wide, chest heaving with fear.

What he saw did not comfort him. Gangrel was smiling , his fangs prominently on display. He was hungrily appraising Jeff, taking in every inch of his body, as he always did when they met in private like this. He caressed the young Hardy's pale cheek, grinning widely when he pulled away roughly.

Jeff began to back away. "What the fuck are you doing back?", he whispered, his voice half-angry, half-broken. After all that had transpired, and after telling himself Gangrel might finally be gone for good, Jeff wasn't sure he could start all of this shit over again. It would kill him.

"I came back for you, of course", the vampire replied, as if he were speaking to a stupid child. He suddenly took on a more sinister tone. "I will _always_ come back for you, Jeffrey."

He pulled the younger man back into his arms despite his protests and struggling.

"So my lovely one", Gangrel said, smirking evilly, "why don't we celebrate my return with a little snack?"

**I love two things in pop culture. Vampires, and Jeff Hardy. I had to combine the two. I couldn't help myself. This will not be Twilight-esque. I fucking HATE everything about those books; no offense to Team Twilight. It's gonna get messy in here folks. Bring towels to clean up the blood. **

**Thanks for reading, and PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: (sigh) I love me some vampires. They're so conducive to slash. And hotness. And sweet obsessive awesomeness. God dammit, I'm looking forward to writing this story… :)**

**As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed or favorited! :) **

**Slashdlite, though the New Brood was pretty short-lived (they were only around from August through October of 1999, according to Wikipedia), the three of them can say that they, without a doubt, had the most kick-ass entrance of any superstars in the history of the business, ever! As for your question about why Gangrel didn't turn Jeff, it was because he didn't want an equal. He wanted a slave.**

**Bernarde, I'll try not to disappoint… :) Onions, are you off your meds again? ;) **

**Neroanne, thank you! To be honest, I had two things in mind when writing Gangrel; one, Gary Oldman's smooth, creepy-ass performance of Dracula, when he was ogling Keanu Reeve's neck; and two, a perverted sex addict. I figured I couldn't go wrong if I combined those. ;)**

**SwantonEnigma, Animal Luvr 4 Life, ExtremeDiva18, Demoniac Bastard Scorpio, and Seraphalexiel, thanks for saying nice things about my crazy vampire fic!**

**WWE owns nearly everything mentioned herein, with the exception of Jeff Hardy, whose likeness is owned by TNA. Gangrel's puffy shirt is owned by Jerry Seinfeld, and rights to his mullet are currently in the possession of Dog the Bounty Hunter. :)**

Awareness came back to Jeff slowly, piece by agonizing piece. Through a hazy veil, he felt jabs of pain, sharp enough to make him lose his breath.

Where was he? Why was he in so much pain?

He tried, several times, to pass out again, stubbornly refusing to move or open his eyes. He didn't want to think about this. He couldn't.

He just wanted to let himself sleep. To pretend that last night had never happened. To pretend that Gangrel never existed.

Consciousness had quietly seeped in while he wasn't looking, however, and now he found that he was unable to pass out, despite all efforts to do so. Groaning, Jeff shifted slightly, and let his eyes slip open.

He immediately realized that he was lying face-down on the carpeted floor of his hotel room. A quick glance down revealed that he was naked, though that didn't come as much of a surprise to him. Jeff shuddered when a cool draft of air suddenly passed over his bare skin. He heard the thrum of an air-conditioner somewhere nearby, working at full capacity. The young Hardy crawled on hands and knees over to the large commercial unit, reaching up quickly to turn it off with shaking hands.

Jeff fell back, leaning against the wall for support. He felt exhausted, to the bone. He felt drained.

Scattered recollections from the night before began to replay in his tangled thoughts, showing him flashes of blood, and tears, and pain. He didn't remember everything about last night's encounter, and he certainly couldn't recall how he'd ended up here on the floor. It was just like that sometimes. Jeff had gotten used to these blackouts, which were, undoubtedly, Gangrel's work. It didn't matter, though. Jeff kind of preferred it that way. The young Hardy had long ago come to the conclusion that, when it came to Gangrel, _not_ knowing was always better than the alternative.

In the end, it didn't matter what the vampire had done to him. Last night, Gangrel had taken what he'd wanted, then left, and tonight, he'd be back to do it all over again.

Jeff sat there, very still. He was acutely aware of pain, stabbing angrily throughout his entire body. Everything hurt. His neck… oh god, it was _throbbing. _He could feel long, deep gashes running the length of his back, gashes that had been made by Gangrel's fangs. They stung like fire every time he shifted his torso.

Usually, Gangrel would at least do him the courtesy of healing his wounds. Jeff didn't understand why he'd left him like this. After all, wounds led to questions and suspicions, and the last thing a vampire wanted sniffing around his pet was a horde of suspicious mortals.

Jeff sluggishly pushed himself up off of the floor, using the bed as a support. Wrapping his arms protectively around his naked frame, he shuffled over to the full-length mirror by the door, wanting to see the damage that had been done.

He let his eyes roam over his battered body. He took in the ruin that Gangrel had so carelessly left behind, his face expressionless, his gaze lackluster. His back began to shake with silent sobs as he saw the dark bruises decorating his face and neck, the ugly scratches across his chest and stomach, the red chafe-marks on his wrists from the rough rope he'd been bound with. Jeff turned away, not wanting to see any more.

Taking a deep, unsteady breath, he walked towards the bathroom to clean himself up.

He would wash the blood away, and cover the bruises.

He would go to work, and act normal, even smile a little, all for the benefit of his oblivious brother.

Sighing sadly, he realized that his life hadn't always been like this.

Jeff slowly began to compose his face into a mask of calm, thoughtful stoicism. The pain was buried, deep beneath the mask.

On the inside, however, he was screaming for someone, anyone, to help him.

_**(Summer, 2002)**_

_Jeff slowly shuffled through the back halls of the arena, his head bowed in exhaustion. Platinum blonde locks fell into his face, obscuring haunted green eyes. He ignored any wrestlers and crew members that he passed, keeping his gaze on the floor. Ignoring the whispered comments and the vile gossip, he continued on, knowing exactly what was being said. He'd heard it every night for months now. _

"_Oh Christ, looks like Hardy's high again." _

"_Jeff's all fucked up, and he's not even bothering to hide it!. I don't care what McMahon says; I'm not wrestling that little junkie. He's gonna break someone's neck with the state he's in!" _

"_Vince is gonna can his ass if he doesn't get his shit together real soon."_

_Jeff sighed, and kept walking. He didn't give a shit what any of the ignorant pricks in the locker room thought of him. Let them speculate. Let them gossip. They were 100 percent right anyway. He was as high as a fucking kite. Or, at least, he had been an hour ago. Now, the buzz was beginning to wear off, and his skin felt like it was crawling. He scratched at his arms, leaving red marks behind. _

_Jeff quickened his steps when he saw the exit come into view. He couldn't wait to get back to his hotel room. He had a small stash of pills left, and he figured it was just enough to bring him sweet, complete oblivion. _

_He desperately needed it after the week he'd had. Gangrel had been especially… attentive this week. Jeff sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. He didn't want to think about the fucking vampire tonight. Gangrel had promised that he would keep his distance for the night, to give him time to recuperate from their previous "sessions". _

_Jeff, therefore, planned to spend the evening forgetting that any of this shit had ever happened. These days, forgetting was his favorite thing to do._

_ He shambled out of the door and into the quiet night. Taking a deep breath of the cool air, Jeff wondered, not for the first time, what the consequences would be, were he to leave Gangrel. Since that night almost three years ago, the vampire had ruled over him, treating him like a slave, or a piece of property. Jeff supposed that was what he was. _

_ Jeff got into his car, and began to drive towards the hotel, the anticipation building. He needed his pills. Then he'd be able to relax-_

_ "__**JEFFREY."**_

___The name sounded like a claxon in his head. He nearly swerved off of the road, alarmed and gasping. Jeff finally managed to straighten out the wheel._

_ "God dammit!" he yelled, punching the dashboard in frustration. He hated when the vampire contacted him through telepathy. He never had any warning, and Gangrel often chose extremely inconvenient or inappropriate times to invade his head._

_ "__**I am waiting in your hotel room, Jeffrey. I will expect you in twenty minutes. No more.**__"____The voice paused. "__**The pills under your mattress have been disposed of. We have spoken about the narcotics, yes? I can see now that my disciplinary tactics may have to change.**__"_

_Jeff listened to the voice, his teeth gritted in pain and anger. Gangrel had promised to leave him alone tonight. _

_But there would be no escape from his hellish existence. Not tonight. _

_He glanced down at his watch, panicking as he realized that he barely had enough time to make it back to the hotel. He had twenty minutes; he'd probably run into his room, sweating and out of breath, at nineteen and a half._

"_I just need to get through tonight", he whispered desperately, "And then, I'll be just fine. Tomorrow, I'll be okay."_

_It was the same thing he'd told himself before every encounter with the vampire._

_Three years had passed, however, and the young Hardy's situation was only getting worse. _

_Jeff was definitely not okay._

_Gangrel sat on the hard hotel bed, waiting. He leaned back against the headboard, utterly still, his strange eyes locked on the door before him. A quick glance at the digital bedside clock informed him that Jeffrey had less than a minute to get here. _

_Gangrel, however, was quite confident that Jeffrey would arrive on time. He knew the consequences for disobedience. He would not defy him; not tonight. _

_ The vampire's mouth quirked in a small smile as he heard rushed footsteps outside the room, a key card being frantically swiped, and the door handle being turned._

_ Jeffrey had arrived, and with 30 seconds to spare._

_ The young Hardy ran into the room, panting and wild-eyed, his expression a mixture of fear, unchecked anger, and profound angst. Gangrel loved it. He drank it in._

_ "Hello, Jeffrey", the vampire said lowly, rising from the bed and walking towards him with predatory lust in his gaze, "You're just on time." He smiled affectionately as he watched the young Hardy slowly back away._

_ "Look, just stay away from me", Jeff begged, his voice unsteady, "Please, I can't do this tonight-"_

_ Gangrel moved faster than Jeff's eyes could follow. Before he could blink, the young Hardy was wrapped up in the vampire's arms, chest to chest, held so tightly that he was barely able to breathe. Gangrel's animal-like golden eyes shone as they roamed his prisoner's pale skin and long, slender neck. Jeff's eyes widened fearfully as he watched the vampire's deadly incisors smoothly lengthen. _

_ "Please… you promised to leave me alone tonight…", Jeff choked._

_ Gangrel gently caressed the smooth skin of Hardy's cheek. "I lied", he said matter-of-factly, "Oh, do not look so put out, Jeffrey!" He leaned in slightly, a dangerous look upon his pale face. "You know as well as I do that you have been keeping things from me." Jeff flinched. He knew what the vampire was referring to. "I will not be lied to, Jeffrey, and I will not be disobeyed", Gangrel said, his voice low, "You went directly against my word. You continued to take your drugs, when I had expressely forbidden it." Jeff looked away; he prayed this wouldn't end in a painful death. _

"_You will be punished." Gangrel spoke the words nonchalantly, as if he were commenting on the weather. Jeff felt the vampire's sharp nails digging into the tender skin beneath his chin, forcing him to look up. Reluctantly, he did so, meeting Gangrel's frigid gaze. _

"_Take your clothing off. Now." _

_ Unable to look at Gangrel's face, Jeff miserably began to remove his t-shirt, followed by the baggy jeans, shoes, and socks he was wearing. There was a pair of boxers underneath it all, but they would remain… for now. Jeff removed his clothing slowly, making sure he angled himself so the vampire could see everything. He'd been through this countless times over the last three years, and in that time he'd learned exactly what to do. He'd slowly strip, show off the goods a little, then try to hide the fact that he wanted to die. That was always how these sessions began._

_ Gangrel stood, watching him expectantly. There was, after all, more to this ritual. Looking to the ground in mock-submission, Jeff dropped to his knees, and crossed his hands behind his back, waiting. _

_ "You can get through this", Jeff thought desperately, "You've done it before. Just pretend you're somewhere else, and you'll be fine." _

_ He flinched when he felt rope encircling his wrists, pulling tightly, leaving no room for movement or escape. Scowling, he realized the vampire had tied him unusually tight tonight. As always, however, he stayed still. Doing otherwise would not have boded well for him._

_ Suddenly, he felt Gangrel slide in behind him, skin to skin, his body melded to his own. Jeff had to force himself not to recoil in disgust when he felt the vampire's hard-on poke into his lower back. He didn't move a muscle as Gangrel's arms embraced him tightly. Freezing digits began to caress his skin, the feather-light touch languidly exploring his chest and abs. _

_ His fingers moved down, and down, until they reached the waistband of the young Hardy's boxer shorts. Jeff tensed, and Gangrel felt it. The vampire laughed at Jeff's apprehension, cool breath ghosting over the back of Hardy's neck. His hand then slipped easily into Jeff's underwear. _

_ Jeff tried to pull out of the vampire's grasp, knowing all the while that it was impossible. His eyes widened as he felt Gangrel wrap his hand around his limp cock and begin to pump it._

_ "Stop it!", Jeff cried out, caught halfway between anger and fear, "God dammit, let me go!" The young Hardy's cock was getting harder by the second, and he hated himself for it. _

_ "Ah, you don't want me to stop, Jeffrey", Gangrel hissed, his hand roughly tugging on the younger man's dick, "You enjoy this."_

_ "Fuck you!", Jeff growled, trying to twist his lower body away from Gangrel's probing hands. _

_ Gangrel's fangs sank forcefully into his neck. Jeff let out a scream of pain when the vampire began to draw blood. He was sucking too hard, taking too much blood too quickly. _

_ After a moment, Gangrel ripped his fangs out, bringing a small spray of blood. He licked the gooey liquid off of his lips, and teeth, swallowing with a satisfied smile. Leaning over the young Hardy, he lapped at the still-bleeding wounds on his neck. _

"_You taste delicious, Jeffrey", he whispered, grinning through a mouthful of blood. He kept up a steady rhythm on Jeff's cock, which was now hard and dripping with pre-cum. The young Hardy lay limply back against the vampire, panting heavily, his eyes half-lidded. _

_ Suddenly, Gangrel stopped, pulling his hand away from Jeff's cock._

_ He rose, letting the young Hardy fall heavily to the ground. He stood over the prone boy, studying him with a lecherous smirk upon his pale face._

_ Jeff was very weak from exhaustion and blood loss. Trails of blood poured from pin-prick wounds in his neck, coagulating in pools on his chest and shoulders. Looking lower, Gangrel's smile widened as he took in the noticeable tent pushing up the front of Jeff's boxers. _

_ The vampire sighed in contentment. Never had he had a slave this delectable. Tied up, bleeding, and ripe for the taking. _

_ Gangrel sat down on Jeff's legs, then tore the boxer shorts off of his body, leaving him completely naked. Jeff opened his mouth to protest._

_ "Don't move", the vampire said, his tone threatening._

_ Jeff froze, looking up at Gangrel with wide, green eyes._

_ The vampire bent over the terrified Hardy boy and sank his teeth into his erect cock. Jeff screamed in pain, trying desperately not to move for fear of having his penis ripped in half by the vampire's deadly eye-teeth._

_ Gangrel had stuck his teeth in towards the head of Jeff's cock. He sucked on the young Hardy's sweet lifeblood, and licked the tender, abused organ, enjoying Jeff's taste. He loved Jeff's screams of pain; they made the vampire want to fuck him through the floor._

_ Gangrel pulled his needle-sharp teeth out when he was done, licking over the bleeding wounds he'd left behind. He quickly bit into his wrist and rubbed some of his immortal blood over the puncture wounds, healing them. It wouldn't do to let the young Hardy bleed out. _

_Jeff lay there, unmoving, his face screwed up in a grimace of pain. He prayed that this would be over soon. _

_ Suddenly, Gangrel pulled him up by his arm, forcing him to sit erect. "Get on your knees, and put your face to the floor." The vampire's tone brooked no argument._

_ Jeff stared at Gangrel, hoping that he had heard incorrectly. _

_ Gangrel stared right back at him._

_ Jeff's eyes widened in terror. He shook his head in protest, trying to push himself as far from the vampire as he could get._

_ Gangrel, however, was not perturbed in the slightest by Jeff's hesitation. He gracefully swept forward and stepped onto Jeff's chest, forcing him to stay where he was. Staring down at the frightened Hardy boy, he calmly repeated, "Get on your knees, and put your face to the floor. Now."_

_ Jeff did as he was told. He knelt, and let his face rest on the floor. His ass, as a result, was put on display, something that could not have boded well. His hands were still tied firmly behind his back. _

_ He felt the vampire move in behind him. The corpse-like hands grabbed firm hold of his ass cheeks, kneading them, tracing the musculature. Then, suddenly, he felt Gangrel pull at the soft skin, forcing his cheeks apart slightly. The vampire began licking at Jeff's pucker, his tongue dipping in and out, lapping at the pink, tender skin. To his disgust, Jeff immediately felt his dick stiffen up. _

_ "Stop…", Jeff muttered, trying to twist his hips away from the vampire's probing tongue, "Stop it." _

_ Gangrel suddenly let out an angry, animalistic growl. He then bit into the area he'd previously been lavishing with his tongue. Jeff let out a high-pitched scream. _

_ "No! Stop!", he sobbed, "Please, stop!" _

_ Gangrel yanked his teeth out. He immediately moved in behind Jeff, and, with no pretense or warning, plunged his cock in. Jeff screamed again. _

_ Vampire sex is different from human sex, and Jeff had learned this the hard way. Vampires are stronger, and the last place they think about controlling their super-human strength is the bedroom. _

_ Human slaves have died while fucking vampires. _

_ Jeff didn't want to think about that right now, though. His ass felt like it was being raped by an elephant cock. He felt like he was being stabbed, over and over again. Oblivious to Jeff's screams, or perhaps turned on by them, Gangrel pushed in, harder and faster. The young Hardy sobbed, begging him to ease up. His pleas were ignored. _

_Jeff grimaced in pain and exhaustion. The left side of his face had obtained a nasty rug-burn from being pushed into the carpet, and he had a slew of bleeding cuts all over his body because Gangrel liked to eat while he fucked. His arms were starting to cramp from being tied for so long. And, on top of all this, he was getting really woozy from the blood loss. _

_ Jeff grimaced as he felt the vampire quickly pull out, and then cum all over his back. He gritted his teeth when he felt how raw his ass was, as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper. _

_ Jeff watched the vampire rise, stretch his muscles, and re-dress. Suddenly, Gangrel scowled, and the young Hardy cowered a bit, afraid it had to do with him. Jeff realized, however, that the vampire was glaring down at his own leg._

_ "Come here, Jeffrey", said the vampire, still looking at his pants. _

_Jeff rose, and walked over, head bowed. Now that he was closer, Jeff could see a bead of cum on Gangrel's black pants. Gangrel carefully picked it up with his finger and held it out to Jeff, an expectant look upon his face. Too exhausted to argue, the young Hardy got to his knees, and licked the cum off of Gangrel's finger, making sure to swallow._

_ Jeff looked away from the vampire's satisfied smile. He felt pathetic. Why wasn't he putting up more of a fight? He used to fight. Now, here he was, a cum-swallowing fuck toy. He'd become nothing more than a god damn blood bag for this disgusting vampire to consume, over and over again. He didn't know how to make it stop, though. There was no one to help him. God knows Matt wouldn't believe him. And there was no one else. After all, he couldn't run to the police and say he was being raped every night by a vampire. They'd commit him. Or throw him in jail for all the drugs he'd been doing these last years. His career would be over. His _life_ would be over. _

_ What could he do?_

_ With a sigh, his thoughts turned to his pills. He had another stash hidden at the arena._

_ He supposed he always had his pills to fall back on._

**(Present Day)**

Jeff reluctantly entered the catering hall. His head was bowed as he walked, his long blue and red hair eclipsing his face.

Glancing around, he quickly located his brother, who was sitting with Adam Copeland and Jay Reso. He would rather have grabbed some food and slipped out to eat alone, but he knew he'd hear about it later, so he figured he'd just get the pleasantries over with now.

"There he is! Jeffro, you're late!", called Matt, ever jovial, "Come on, we saved you a seat."

Sighing inwardly, Jeff slid onto the bench next to his brother. He began to pick at the deli meats he'd picked up, not really intending to eat anything. The last thing he wanted to do right now was eat.

Edge and Christian shared a look, and it wasn't lost on Jeff. "You okay, Jeffro? You look a little tired."

Jeff re-adjusted his sunglasses. They were hiding an eye that was bruised and swollen shut.

"Yeah", the young Hardy replied, "I guess I was just up late last night, and it's catching up with me. I'm kind of exhausted."

Adam and Christian glanced at each other.

"Well, you should eat something", said Matt, who was oblivious to the tension at the table, "It'll make you feel better."

Jeff shook his head, standing. "I'm not hungry. I think I'm just gonna try and get some fresh air before the show. It'll wake me up. I'll see you guys a little later."

He began to walk towards the doors, dipping his head so the bruises on his face and neck would be concealed by his hair.

"Has he been acting a little off lately?", asked Adam, who was watching Jeff's departure intently.

Matt scoffed. "Jeff is always a little off."

"Yeah, I suppose…", replied Jay, not sounding convinced.

Adam stood. "It's a nice night out there. I think Jeffro had the right idea. I'm gonna go for a walk before the show."

"I'll go with you", Jay said, standing also, "I need to get out of this place for a few minutes. It's claustrophobic."

Matt said, "If you see my brother, remind him not to be late. He can be kind of air-headed about time management sometimes."

"Will do", replied Adam, pulling Jay along.

Once they were outside, Adam whispered, "We need to find Jeff."

Jay stared at the ground, his eyes hard. "You think-"

"Jeff was fine yesterday. He's been fine for months. Completely normal. Then, all of a sudden, he shows up wearing sunglasses, bruises on his throat, and looking like he's about to pass out from either pain or exhaustion. I don't think, Jay; I know. This stinks of that pig Gangrel."

"But Jeff swore he was gone!"

"Then he lied", Adam said simply.

"Didn't I already clearly state that I don't want, or need, your help?" Both Edge and Christian's heads snapped to the left at the sound of Jeff's voice. He stood in a nearby doorway, glaring at the two of them.

Jeff's face was a mask of desperation. "You have to leave me alone, god dammit!", he said quietly, "If he sees me with you, or if it gets back to him that you were talking to me for reasons not relating to work, he will _kill me_, do you understand? You need to forget about me. Just go; I'll be alright. He'll leave again, at some point-"

"Jeff, the last thing you are is alright, for Christ's sake! He's never going to leave again! That was a one-time deal, and you know it", replied Adam, "That motherfucker is possessive, and he's territorial. Once he's staked a claim, he'll stick around until it's no longer useful, until he finds something else to pique his interest, or until it's dead. Trust me on this, the two of us know!"

"It doesn't matter, Adam", Jeff said wearily, "There's nothing I can do about this."

"But-"

Jeff stepped forward, his bloodshot green eyes blazing. "No! I can't deal with the consequences for stepping out of line." He glanced up at the sky, and saw that the sun was setting. "I have to go now. I meant what I said. I'll be fine. Please just leave me alone. I don't need any more problems."

With that, he turned and walked briskly back into the arena, sunglasses firmly in place.

Edge and Christian watched him go, concern and frustration etched on their pale faces.

"What are we going to do?", asked Jay, looking a bit lost.

Edge's face tightened. "What we should've done ten years ago", he replied, "We're gonna stake that motherfucker. And then we're gonna watch him fly straight down to hell."

**Poor, poor Jeffy. How I love to torture thee. It's only gonna get worse. Oh god, so much worse. I have a lot planned for this story, and if Jeffro comes out with his sanity intact, it'll be a damn miracle.**

**Please send me REVIEWS! I love them; they make me write faster.**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I was watching TNA tonight, and I realized something: Jeff's using WAY too much facepaint these days. He's beginning to look like a hard-core mime and, as we all know, Jeffro is **_**way**_** too pretty to be covering that face up. I guess I can't complain too much, though; the crazy bastards over at TNA FINALLY made him champ. I've been skipping around like a drunk moron for two weeks now in celebration. ;) **

**Now, on to the reviews! Thanks to all of you who reviewed, favorited, or alerted; it's always much appreciated.**

**Takers Dark Lover, thank you! :) Why do Edge and Christian know so much? Why is Matty so retardedly ignorant? All will be revealed, my friend. Read on... :)**

**Neroanne, thank you! :) I'm going to have to include more rimjob/biting scenes in my stories from now on. ;)**

**ExtremeDiva18, thank you so much! :) I really appreciate that. I'll work my butt off to keep the chapters coming as quickly as possible (we wouldn't want an incident, after all). ;)**

**Slashdlite, Adam and Jay's circumstances were far different than Jeffy's; more answers will be given about their sordid past in this chapter. As for what they're planning, well, I never give out any spoilers in the author's notes… ;)**

**Seraphalexiel, you should know by now that sick is my specialty, at least when it comes to Jeff Hardy. ;) **

**JacobLuver113, your wish is my command. Thanks for reading! :) **

**Disclaimer: WWE OWNS ALL! (Except for Jeff Hardy, who's owned by TNA now, and Matt Hardy, who's apparently, um, owned by no one. ;) )**

**ADDITIONAL NOTE: This story is not supposed to parallel any current happenings or feuds in the WWE. I will mention past matches and storylines, though, just for continuities' sake.**

**Enjoy!**

Jeff loped down the long and silent hallway, his body thrumming with painful exhaustion.

He'd wrestled in a match with C.M. Punk tonight, despite the fact that he was already hurting and exhausted from Gangrel's cruel attentions. Jeff had barely gotten through it and had ended up tapping out quickly, not giving a shit, just wanting the whole thing to be over with. Punk, of course, hadn't been satisfied with his easy victory. The straight-edge prick had kicked him in the face, hard enough to send him skidding backwards on the mat.

Jeff sighed, running a hand over the place where Punk's boot had connected with his cheek. It felt swollen. He let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes. His entire body felt like an open wound, raw and bleeding.

Jeff came to a small area across from a bank of elevators. There was a large mirror hanging on the wall, above an ornate table that had a hefty arrangement of fake flowers on it. He glanced into the mirror, and gasped. The concealing make-up he'd applied to his bruises earlier in the day was beginning to run down his face, exposing the dark and puffy skin around his eyes and cheekbones. Jeff glanced around, relieved to see no one else in the hallway. Bowing his head, he let his long, unkempt hair fall across his face, in an effort to conceal the ugly, black and blue bruising on his pale skin. He began to walk faster, feeling an overwhelming need to get out of the hallway. He hated the thought of anyone seeing him like this. It made him feel disgusting.

Looking down, he ran a watery gaze over the key-card that was clasped loosely in his hand. "Room 767" was printed on it in bold, black letters. He glanced up at the sign on the wall, directing guests to their rooms.

"Dammit", he swore softly. He'd taken a wrong turn two hallways back.

The young Hardy began to walk back in the direction he'd come, cursing this hotel's moronic architecture under his breath.

Turning the corner, he ran headlong into his brother, who was holding a bucket of ice and a soda from the vending machine.

"Woah, Jeffro, slow down!", Matt said, grinning as he righted himself.

Jeff glanced up through a curtain of tangled, multi-colored hair. He grunted a short apology under his breath, and continued to walk towards his room, not slowing in the slightest.

Matt followed, keeping pace with him. "Hell of a match tonight with Punk! You two beat the crap out of each other."

Jeff shot an unreadable glance his brother's way. "Yeah", he said quietly.

Matt looked over at his brother, noting the slumped shoulders, scruffy appearance, and skittish demeanor he was exhibiting. "You getting sick, Jeffro?", he asked, concern in his voice.

Jeff tensed under his brother's observant gaze, but did not stop walking. "Uh, no, Matty", he replied after a moment, "Just really, really tired, is all. I'm gonna crash as soon as I get to my room."

Matt nodded in approval. "You should. You've been looking like crap the last few days, you know. Even Adam and Jay mentioned it earlier tonight. They said I should keep a closer eye on you."

Jeff groaned inwardly. He was going to wring their fucking necks the next time he saw them. Edge and Christian dropping not-so-subtle hints to his clueless brother could get them all killed, or worse.

"Adam and Jay are retarded", Jeff said casually. He forced a mirthless smirk onto his lips, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, Matty."

Matt sighed. "I know, Jeffro. The last thing you want is for me to be standing behind you all the time, looking over your shoulder and telling you what you should and shouldn't be doing. But I'm your older brother, and I can't help it if I fall back into old habits once in a while."

Jeff smiled, despite himself. Time would move forward, but Matt would never change. There was great comfort in that thought.

"So", Matt said, glancing down at the card in Jeff's hand, "what room are you in?"

"767", Jeff replied, "Though, I'm beginning to think the front desk played a trick on me. I feel like I've been walking for a fucking hour now, and I don't see any sign of it."

Matt laughed. "Yeah, I hate these giant hotels. The floors are a mile wide." He paused as they came to yet another intersection. "It looks like you're down here. I'm back this way. I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early. If you're up at a decent hour, maybe we can grab some breakfast before the flight out, okay?"

"Sure, sounds good. Goodnight, Matty", Jeff replied softly.

The brothers went their separate ways.

Jeff stepped into the hallway, searching for his room. It was the last door, all the way down on the left.

Walking sluggishly up to his room, he ran the key card through the electronic lock several times before successfully opening the door. Pushing the portal inward, he was immediately assailed with a wave of vertigo. Cold, creeping dread swept through him as he watched a black shadow shift within the darkness. He stared into the room, rooted to the spot, eyes wide in terrified anticipation. He knew what waited inside. He knew what would happen if he entered.

"Do come in, Jeffrey", Gangrel's soft, refined voice suddenly drifted out from somewhere near the back corner, "Shut the door, quickly."

Jeff did so, knowing that he had no choice in the matter. If he tried to run, he would be caught, and punished. Perhaps even killed.

After shutting and locking the door, Jeff stood there in the darkness, miserable and afraid. His arms were wrapped protectively around himself as he looked around, waiting with grim impatience for something to happen.

Suddenly, the young Hardy let out a strangled gasp. Freezing-cold arms wrapped themselves around his torso, trapping his arms against his sides.

"Gangrel-", Jeff began unsteadily.

"Shhhh, my lovely one", the vampire soothed. His icy hands roamed Jeff's body with unsettling familiarity. "There's no need to fret." The young Hardy didn't understand why the vampire ever bothered with placating words; they both knew how their little meetings were going to end up. Jeff saw no reason for pretense.

Gangrel's fingers caressed the bare skin beneath his shirt absentmindedly, in the same manner one would pet a dog.

"Please don't touch me", Jeff whispered brokenly.

His eyes were tightly closed, his bruised face contorted in a mask of fear. The vampire lightly stroked his cheek.

"Did I forget to heal you last night, Jeffrey?", Gangrel said, his voice gentle.

The vampire pulled his hand away and forced the young Hardy around to face him. Green eyes slowly slipped open, staring sightlessly at the vague dark shape before him. It was pitch dark in the room, and Jeff could see nothing. He couldn't hear Gangrel breathing at all, however he could, strangely, feel cold breaths misting on his face.

It unsettled the young Hardy that he was blind in the darkness, while Gangrel was capable of seeing every detail of his surroundings in perfect and vivid clarity. Jeff knew the vampire was scrutinizing him, enjoying every flash of fear that crossed his face. He could feel that unnatural gaze sweeping over his body.

Jeff jumped when he felt Gangrel's nimble fingers pushing back his hair, revealing the dark bruises on his face and throat. Shaking his head dramatically, the vampire said, "I did make a mess, didn't I? We should rectify that."

Jeff would have preferred to let the bruises mend on their own. He hated being healed by Gangrel almost as much as he hated being slapped around by him.

"Get on your knees, Jeffrey", the vampire ordered silkily, "And convince me that you are worthy of receiving this gift."

Resigned, knowing he had no choice but to comply, the young Hardy dropped to his knees. Gangrel watched him intently, a small smirk on his pale face.

"Please", Jeff whispered, his voice shaking, his eyes on the ground, "Please, heal me, Master…"

"Lean your head back, and open your mouth." Jeff obeyed.

Gangrel bit into his wrist and held it over Jeff's mouth, allowing a stream of thick, dark red to pour down Hardy's waiting throat. Jeff nearly threw up upon tasting the warm, coppery liquid, but forced himself to swallow. He choked several times, but he did not close his mouth or move. He knew from experience that there were consequences for that.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Gangrel pulled his wrist away.

Jeff closed his eyes. He could feel strength washing through his muscles, clarity returning to his exhausted mind. Pain disappeared, and he knew that his wounds had gone. He took a breath, and realized immediately that the air felt crisper than before, as if he'd just stepped outside on a winter morning.

Gangrel watched him closely, a wide smile on his face. "Much better", he said, gingerly touching Jeff's face, "Your beauty has returned."

"If you hadn't lost control, you wouldn't have had to worry about healing me", Jeff said quietly, an edge to his tone. "You're always so concerned about secrecy", he continued, his voice contemptuous, "And yet, you left me on the floor, looking as if I'd been beaten and gang-raped by the entire locker room. People were staring at me today; they definitely noticed my bruises. There's only so much I can do to cover them, you know."

Gangrel smiled, and swept a hand through the young Hardy's tangled hair. "Jeffrey, you bring up a good point. I should, perhaps, think about being more careful from now on. We would not want anyone to discover our secret trysts, after all." He leaned down gracefully, and took Jeff's face firmly in hand. "Therefore, you shall drink my blood after _every_ meeting. Just to be safe."

Jeff shuddered and pulled away.

The vampire's grin widened.

The young Hardy wondered if Gangrel was serious. The vampire had never threatened such things before. He'd always kept to a certain… routine of abuse, and Jeff preferred that, because at least that way he knew what was coming.

But it seemed lately as if he was escalating, wanting to push Jeff to his limits simply to see when and how he'd break. Jeff wondered if he was growing bored with his plaything. If that was the case, it would only grow worse, until he ended up dead. There would be no reprieve, no release.

Tiredly, he wondered if he should contact Edge and Christian. They had offered their help, and Jeff couldn't refute that they did know more about the situation than most people would ever want to.

He closed his eyes, wanting desperately for this night to be over with. Wanting Gangrel to be gone.

Suddenly, an ice-cold hand wrapped around his waist, another slipping tightly across his chest.

The teeth digging into his neck felt like hell, though what would follow was far, far worse.

[xxxx]

**(1999):**

Edge ran frantically around the small hotel room, trying to get things in order. Moving quickly and efficiently, he made sure his and Christian's clothing was packed neatly away, their suitcases out of sight. Checking the bathroom, he was relieved to find it freshly cleaned.

Gangrel was very strict in his preferences about how things should be done. He always insisted on cleanliness.

Adam sighed as he sat on the bed, being careful not to rumple the comforter too much. He picked up a comb from the nightstand and began to run it through his long hair, trying to work out the knots.

As he went through the motions of grooming himself, Adam glanced over at the other bed. He saw Jay, curled up asleep beneath the thick cotton comforter. Adam rubbed at his bleary eyes. It had been way too long since either of them had had a decent night's rest, and he was suddenly realizing just how tired he actually was.

He hated to wake his friend, but it was a necessary thing. Gangrel was on his way, and he would be very angry if they were not ready for him when he arrived.

Grabbing Jay's shoulder and shaking it, Adam said, "Sorry, man, but you have to get up. C'mon, Jay. Get up."

The young blonde's bleary eyes slipped open, and he let out a long, annoyed groan.

"Fuck off, Adam", he croaked, "I'm tired!"

Adam pulled the blankets off of his friend, ignoring the curses and protests he received in return.

"Get up!", he said, his tone more forceful, "Gangrel is going to be here in a few minutes! You have to get dressed!"

Jay rose and stomped over to the closet. He glared back at Adam, as if the situation were his doing. "I thought he'd give us a night off tonight. After this past week-"

"There's nothing we can do about it", Adam cut him off gravely.

Jay only huffed in response, throwing a few items violently down onto Adam's impeccably-maintained bed. He quickly dressed, ignoring his friend for the moment. As Christian readied himself, Adam made the other bed, tucking the sheets in and smoothing the comforter on top.

Turning a critical eye to Jay's appearance, Adam was relieved when he saw that his friend had managed to make himself decently presentable. Dark jeans, a tight white t-shirt. Gangrel should be fine with that.

Jay sighed loudly, sitting heavily on Adam's bed. He found himself glaring darkly at a random spot on the carpet. "This shit can't go on, Adam", he said, his voice bitter and very sullen, "I mean, he never leaves us alone!"

Adam nodded sadly, taking in his friend's wretched state. "We'll be alright, Jay", he replied, "I promise you, we'll figure something out."

Jay raised his head to say something else. Before he could open his mouth, however, they heard faint footsteps outside their door. Both men paled when they realized the vampire had arrived.

There was the sound of a key being pushed into a lock, and turned. Edge and Christian quickly moved to stand next to each other. They adapted the manner Gangrel preferred; faces expressionless, eyes on the floor. As the lock clicked, they suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice speak, though neither of them could make out what had been said. Gangrel replied to the stranger, and a moment later laughter filtered in from the hallway.

The friends glanced at each other apprehensively. They were both shocked to realize that Gangrel had brought someone with him tonight. Normally, the vampire guarded the two of them jealously, growing furious when he thought others might be taking an interest in his pets.

And yet here he was, inviting an outsider into their inner sanctum. Something seemed off, but then again, the two friends had never pretended to understand the actions of Gangrel.

The door swung open, admitting their undead master. He was followed by another male, obviously a vampire as well, who stood at least a head taller than the stouter Gangrel. The stranger was thin and willowy, with a long, straight nose, dark green eyes, and long, red hair that he kept in a neat braid at the nape of his neck.

"You are most welcome here, Antrim!", Gangrel gestured into the room, wide smile firmly in place, "I know that you are used to the very height of luxury, so I apologize for the room. These temporary lodgings may be humble, but they serve their purpose well enough."

The tall vampire obliged, slowly entering and shutting the door behind him.

Antrim's attention was immediately drawn to the two blonde humans standing side-by-side, still and silent, their eyes downcast. They were both very beautiful, and in the flower of their youth, just as Gangrel had said.

Swallowing thickly, he said, "So, my friend, these are the boys of whom you spoke?"

Gangrel walked over to his young charges, a lewd grin on his pale face. "They are, indeed."

He moved to stand next to Edge. Grabbing up a clump of the younger man's blonde locks, Gangrel nestled his face in the loose curls, breathing in the subtle perfume of his shampoo. Edge endured it, continuing to stare listlessly at the floor.

"Greet Antrim properly, lovely boy, and tell him your name", Gangrel said into Adam's ear, "We must observe the niceties."

Angry and embarrassed, and knowing he had no choice at all, Adam dropped to his knees before the newcomer. He bent over and gently kissed his boots.

"Welcome, Master", he said quietly, "My name is Adam. I am yours to command, if it pleases you."

Antrim stared down at the boy, entranced by his beauty, and the overpowering scent of his blood.

"You are free to do with him as you wish", Gangrel's voice instructed from the other end of the room, "Just don't kill him."

Antrim clearly saw the young slave shoot a dark glare over at his master, before he remembered to hide the expression beneath a mask of blank impassivity. The boy's captivating blue eyes looked downward once more, marking his submission.

In that moment, Antrim could have happily taken him. But something was plaguing him, an uncomfortable feeling tugging at his guts. The way that child had looked at Gangrel…

Antrim forced his gaze away from the pretty slave kneeling at his feet, and glanced over at the other vampire.

Gangrel was grinning arrogantly as he tightly embraced the other young slave, ignoring the boy's half-hearted struggles and small whimpers of pain. Antrim watched as the frightened lad was struck across the mouth when he would not quiet down.

His eyes narrowed when he saw Gangrel's rough treatment of the human. The boy seemed to be terrified. He seemed to be desperate for escape.

Sighing, he looked away, reminding himself that it was up to each vampire to discipline his human slaves as he saw fit. It was not his place to intervene.

He shifted his attention back to the lovely blonde kneeling at his feet. The boy waited, ready to do his bidding, ready to bleed for him if asked.

Consciously sheathing his fangs, Antrim bent to extend his hand.

"Come, there is no need for you to kneel before me like a dog", he said softly, "You can get to your feet."

He didn't move at first. He just stared at the outstretched hand, as if he were afraid he'd be struck. Antrim saw him glance fearfully over at Gangrel. The other vampire was thoroughly distracted, however, as his fangs were currently buried deep in his young slave's neck. He blatantly fondled him while taking his evening repast, ignoring his victim's quiet groans of protest.

"Adam, is it?", Antrim asked politely.

"Um, yeah, that's right", he answered nervously, gaping suspiciously at the strange vampire.

The boy in Gangrel's arms let out a particularly loud whimper, causing Adam to jump and glance in concern over at his friend.

Antrim gently guided his face back. He smiled at the boy, a reassuring gesture to put him at ease.

"Your friend will be fine, Adam", he said, his voice soft and low, "You needn't worry about him."

Adam nodded mechanically in response, his eyes riveted to the vampire who was gently gripping his chin.

Antrim stared down at the young beauty, his gaze roaming over the wide, frightened eyes and pale skin. Anticipation building, he readied himself for the bloodletting, allowing his fangs to sharpen and extend until they stabbed at the sensitive flesh of his lower lip.

A sharp cry of pain suddenly rang out from across the room, causing Antrim to glance over Adam's shoulder in irritation.

Gangrel's hands were down the blonde boy's pants, fondling him, tightly gripping his member and trying to prevent him from bucking away.

"Please…", the young slave whispered desperately, "…don't!..."

Gangrel laughed, obviously thoroughly enjoying himself.

Antrim let out a weighty sigh. He didn't see why the other vampire was treating his slave in such a harsh manner. There was a fine line, after all, between masochism and abuse.

Shaking his head, the tall vampire turned back to Adam. The boy stared at him, his stoic mask barely concealing a wild-eyed desperation. He was obviously concerned for his friend.

"I'd like you to take your shirt off, please", Antrim said evenly, his strange eyes running over the younger man's clothed torso.

Adam just stared at him, silently begging the vampire to rescind the unwelcome command.

"Please take your shirt off", Antrim repeated when Edge hesitated. His gaze was steady upon the young human.

"Yes, Master", the boy said, his tone defeated. He pulled his t-shirt over his head, and laid it on the bed behind him. Dropping his eyes back to the ground, he stood, waiting for the cold, groping hands to violate him.

Antrim never touched him, however.

The vampire stood there in place, horrified. He stared, wide-eyed, at the ugly evidence of recent abuse written all over Adam's body.

Antrim began to circle him, his quick, uncanny eyes running over every inch of exposed skin, missing nothing. He saw dark, mottled bruises, and deep gashes on his back and sides. Some had scarred over, some were fresh. All looked horribly painful.

The tall vampire stared, memorizing every bruise, every mark, and every laceration. It was very evident where these wounds had come from. Antrim observed long, deep cuts running up and down his back, running perpendicular to each other; cuts that had been made by fangs.

Disgusted, he wondered why any vampire would feel the urge to punish a human to this extent. It was cruel and vile, and completely unnecessary.

The Ruling Council had set down laws against such abuse, mostly because they knew that visible, open wounds on a human slave could easily bring unwanted attention onto their kind.

Antrim met Adam's eyes. "Did Gangrel do this to you?"

He tried to conceal the anger in his voice, but, judging from the naked fear in Adam's expression, he did not quite succeed.

"You can tell me, child", Antrim urged, softening his tone, "I promise you that there shall be no consequences for your confession."

Adam's lower lip began to quiver slightly. "I don't fucking believe you", he whispered, his voice shaking, "There are always consequences for us."

Antrim gazed down at the broken boy, speechless. Slowly, Adam's words began to sink in. Antrim looked over at Gangrel, his green eyes beginning to darken with anger and disgust.

He was incensed to see the blonde vampire standing over his kneeling slave, arrogant smirk firmly in place. He was holding the boy's hair with one hand, and his own cock with the other. Slowly, painfully, he guided his member into the young slave's mouth, choking him with it, telling him in a smooth tone that, should he feel any teeth, he would be severely punished.

Antrim heard the boy whimper in pain, he saw the tears running down his cheeks.

When he'd come here tonight, he had not expected this.

He wouldn't even be here, were it not for Gangrel bragging shamelessly about his humans. He'd gone on and on about his beautiful boys, his lovely young blondes who were so naïve and submissive, and so eager to please their master. He'd been tantalized by the description. He'd wanted to see the striking duo.

But he realized now that these poor boys were far from a state of consensual compliance; they were being molested and terrorized, and terribly abused. Though Antrim normally took great pains to disassociate himself from the affairs of humans, he found that he was unable to do so in this particular matter.

"Gangrel", he said, his voice low and very cold, "A word with you."

In the middle of his blowjob, the other vampire let out a low, throaty groan. He yanked on the young slave's hair in frustration, causing the boy to whimper. "Antrim, I'm rather busy at the moment. Perhaps you can occupy yourself with Adam until young Jay finishes me off-"

"No", Antrim said, his voice steely, "Now."

Gangrel's eyes narrowed at the other vampire's threatening tone. Letting out a throaty, animalistic growl, he pushed Jay off of his softening member, watching with aloof satisfaction as the young blonde violently smacked the wall and rolled bonelessly onto the floor.

Gangrel's gaze shifted from the unconscious boy at his feet to the livid vampire in front of him.

"What do you want, Antrim?", he asked, the corners of his mouth turned downwards in a slight frown.

Antrim glared. "I would simply like you to help me understand why it is necessary to abuse these boys. I have, after all, observed their behavior. It does not seem to warrant punishment."

Adam, one eye on Gangrel and Antrim, quietly began to scurry forward on hands and knees. If the vampires were going to fight, he needed to get Jay out of harm's way. Reaching his friend, he grabbed him around the arms and dragged the younger man's unconscious bulk into the back corner of the room, trying his best to remain soundless. The two vampires ignored him completely, their sharp, preternatural eyes locked unflinchingly on each other.

"I do not appreciate being questioned by my guests, Antrim", Gangrel said lowly, "Do not forget, your presence here is a courtesy. Showing your host a modicum of civility would be appreciated."

Antrim glared at the shorter vampire. "Civility? You speak of civility, when you were raping this poor boy before my very eyes?" He gestured in the general direction of the two slaves. "I have seen your brand of 'civility', Gangrel! The marks of torture on that child's body!" He gave an emphatic shake of his head. "It goes against our laws, in case you have forgotten! The Ruling Council strictly forbids-"

"To hell with the Council!", Gangrel snarled, "A collection of useless fools!"

"They are right about this, Gangrel", Antrim said, his stare intense, "There is no reason vampires should be able to torture their human slaves for their own sick pleasure. Is it not enough that we rob them of their blood so that we may feed our hunger?"

Gangrel's glare was piercing. "Get the fuck out of here", he growled furiously, his sharp eye-teeth glinting in the dim light.

Antrim grimly obliged. As he walked towards the door, he said, "Very well. I'll go, my friend. But, I must warn you. I have every intention of telling the Ruling Council what I saw here tonight. For your sake, and the well-being of these boys, I suggest you stop what you have been doing. The Council, as you know, does not abide those who stray from the law."

Gangrel stared as the tall vampire quietly left, half-enraged, half-stunned.

He suddenly heard shuffling coming from behind him, followed by a pained whimper. He turned around slowly, a fierce scowl upon his face.

Adam and Jay were huddled in the corner, grasping onto one another for support. Jay had obviously just woken up, as he looked a bit disoriented.

"I suppose you two enjoyed that a great deal", he said, a dangerous tinge to his voice.

Adam, too afraid to reply, only shook his head emphatically in the negative.

"Get up here, you little slut", Gangrel hissed, pointing sharply at Adam.

Trying not to freak out, the young blonde did as he was told, knowing that it was far better for the vampire's attentions to be focused on him right now. Jay needed time to recover from his blow to the head.

Adam gasped as he was roughly pulled against the vampire's chest. He screamed when Gangrel's teeth tore into his throat. The vampire's razor-sharp fingernails dug into the soft flesh of his abdomen, leaving behind bloody imprints.

That night, Gangrel made him suffer. He tortured him and broke him. Any anger he felt towards Antrim was taken out on Adam's fragile human body.

The next night was no better. Or the next. The vampire was brutal, doing his best to beat it into Edge and Christian that they belonged to him.

Their lives had become nothing more than a sad imitation of what they had once been, a constant stream of pain and despair, repeating in a terrible cycle. Always repeating, never ending.

A week passed. And then, one night, Gangrel did not come.

Sure that the vampire must be testing them, Adam and Jay stayed in the room, not even straying down the hall to the vending machine. They didn't speak of the vampire's absence. They barely spoke at all.

The next night, however, was no different. Gangrel did not come.

The two friends began to feel cautiously optimistic.

Two weeks after their master's disappearance, Adam and Jay still had not seen any sign of Gangrel, and they were finally settling back into a routine of cautious normality. As the two were readying themselves for some much-deserved rest one night, there was a knock at the door to their room.

Pensive and afraid, the two walked to the door together, praying it wouldn't be Gangrel returning to reclaim his estranged pets.

Upon opening it, however, there was no one there. An envelope, made of thick, obviously-expensive paper, lay at their feet. Their names were both written on it, in an elegant script.

Adam and Jay glanced around the empty hotel hallway suspiciously, before finally taking the envelope into their room.

Adam sat on the bed, and opened the envelope. Jay took a seat next to him.

"What is it?", he asked pensively, staring at the papers in Adam's hands.

"A letter", murmured Adam, his eyes roaming the page.

_To Adam and Jason,_

_This night is a bittersweet one for me, for I know that justice has been done. However, it was an old friend sentenced, an old friend branded as criminal by our kind. It pains me to see this, as I knew him before, in simpler times. He was a better man then._

_You would not understand, nor do I expect you to._

_The two of you walk free this night, however, and for that, I am pleased. _

_I shall answer any curiosities either of you might have had concerning Gangrel's abrupt disappearance. He was called to stand before the Ruling Council, which is our version of a central government. They sentenced him to exile, as opposed to imprisonment, or death. I'm sure Gangrel was pleased with the Council's decision, considering the alternatives._

_There are a few additional points of which you should be made aware._

_He will be wrestling for the remainder of his WWF contract, which, I believe, has twelve months or so remaining, as of this writing. The council members decided Gangrel leaving the company at the end of his stipulated contract, as opposed to simply running off and disappearing, would be a better option as it would, in the long run, prevent legal issues and media coverage. _

_In this time, however, Gangrel is absolutely forbidden from any contact with either one of you. You are both free men, and under the protection of the Council until such time as Gangrel leaves the company. _

_Once his contract expires, he must move to a distant country. His own kind shall, sadly, revile him from this day forth. He shall be alone. He is forbidden from ever again taking a human slave. _

_You are safe now. Our kind will no longer interfere in your lives._

_Forget Gangrel. Forget me._

_Go forth, and live your lives._

_~Antrim_

[xxxx]

**(Present Day)**

Adam and Jay sat on crates by the backstage entrance, surreptitiously watching Jeff Hardy through the half-open door.

"That's his fifth cigarette!", Jay said under his breath, shooting an incredulous look to his friend.

Adam ran a hand back through his long hair. "He has to come in eventually, Jay. Just chill out."

Outside, Jeff heard the two blondes bickering. He rolled his eyes and took another long puff of his cigarette. Adam and Jay had been following him around everywhere recently, and it was beginning to get extremely irritating.

He didn't want them near him, considering their past with Gangrel.

The young Hardy raised a shaking hand to his lips, and puffed.

Fucking vampires. God damn blood-sucking pieces of shit.

Adam let out a heavy sigh as he watched Jeff lean tiredly against the railing outside.

"Remember Antrim, Jay?", he said quietly, his haunted gaze fixed upon the young Hardy, "Remember what he did for us?"

Jay shot his friend a strange look. "Yeah", he replied, "What made you bring Antrim up?"

Adam rubbed at his eyes. "I was just remembering." He sighed. "How long has it been since he died?"

"Four years now."

Adam shook his head. "It's a god damn shame. He was a good guy. He didn't deserve it, what Gangrel did to him." He leaned heavily back against the wall. "I wish he was here now. Maybe he could tell us how to help Jeff."

Adam and Jay glanced at each other, feeling lost.

As the sun began to set, Jeff finally succumbed and headed inside.

He passed Adam and Jay, ignoring them, and began to walk down the empty hall.

He kept his eyes on the ground. He didn't say anything.

In the end, he knew, there was really nothing to say.

**Now you know why E&C hate Gangrel so much! As for my OC Antrim, he won't be a part of this story really, with the exception of occasional references to him here and there. But those of you who despise OC's can rest easy. As written above, Gangrel killed him off. ;)**

**Matt is still clueless. E&C are allies that Jeffy doesn't even realize he has, though how that will play out is anyone's guess. And what about Gangrel? Is he a vampire outlaw? How will that affect his "ownership" of poor Jeffy?**

**And then there's the mysterious person who'll start to unravel it all…**

**Stay tuned for more! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm going to start off by apologizing to anyone who might've liked Antrim. If anyone out there is really into red-headed vampires, I promise I'll make it up to you with lots of Jeff-submissiveness and E&C-vamp hate. ;)**

**I'm just going to put in a quick word about my other stories, in case anyone's interested. If anyone was reading "Doppelganger", I'm actively working on the next chapter for that right now. "Papercuts" is also getting some love. So don't forget about me in the coming weeks. I promise I'll get some stuff out for you to read. :)**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or alerted! **

**Slashdlite, thank you! I'll try not to be so long between chapters from now on… :)**

**Neroanne, good lord, your reviews make me smile. LOL, hmmmm, gang rape. Now that gives me ideas…. }; )**

**Jacobluver113, thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the little glimpse into Gangrel's, and Edge's and Christian's, pasts. There'll be more to come about what drives these characters, and how they came to be who they are today, in the following chapters. :)**

**Rhiannamator, I agree that Jeff just seems to fit with vampires. I knew that E&C had to be included if I was gonna do a wrestling/vamp fic, because, well, I think it's an unwritten rule somewhere. In fact, I'm kind of cheating by throwing them all in together, because a Hardy/E&C/Gangrel vamp fic is the best type of fic there is, as far as I'm concerned. LOL, Antrim would've treated Adam (and probably Jay) right, but he decided to leave, for some reason. Maybe he found a pretty blonde hooker in the alley to help him out… As for the Council, future chapters will tell. Thanks for the glowing review! **

**Takers Dark Lover, thank you! As for poor Antrim, more will be explained later about his death. **

**Seraphalexiel, as always, thank you kindly for your awesome review. You're really too nice to me. :) As for how Antrim met his end, Gangrel locked him in a room with Justin Bieber music playing full-blast, until his head exploded. A sad, sad thing. ;)**

**The WWE owns everything, because they are, without dispute, the largest wrestling company in the world. TNA, however, is the second largest, and they own Jeffrey Nero Hardy. As far as I'm concerned, therefore, TNA wins. Where Jeff goes, I go. **

**Oh, and just in case he's in a suing mood, Matt Hardy owns himself.**

**Enjoy Chapter 4!**

**(Present Day)**

Matt Hardy was sitting in the second-floor lounge of the hotel, leaning back in a comfortable armchair and dangling a half-empty bottle of beer from between his first and second fingers. His eyes were directed towards Jeff, who was sitting across from him, gazing tiredly out of the window.

"So, Jeffro", Matt said suddenly, drawing the younger man out of his thoughts, "How's your program going with Punk?"

Jeff sighed and turned his weary gaze on Matt. "I don't think they're gonna keep it going much longer", he answered, "We really don't work well together."

"That's a shame", Matt said, shaking his head, "I thought you two put on some good matches."

Jeff shrugged, not really giving a shit. He turned back to the window, and resumed his study of the nondescript buildings outside. God, how he envied his brother's ability to focus so completely on such trivial things. Wrestling, and girls, and parties, and training; these had become the length and breadth of Matt's existence.

"Are you doing okay, Jeffy?", Matt asked, leaning forward. His face was solemn as he took in his brother's slumped and tired form, "You said you were gonna start getting more sleep, but you look exhausted. Really pale, too-"

"I'm fine", Jeff said softly. His gaze remained locked on the window by their seats.

Matt's brows creased into a concerned frown. "Jeff-"

The young Hardy sighed, and met his brother's gaze. "Matty, there's honestly nothing wrong. I've just been really tired lately, that's all. The schedule's been getting to me, and my sleep's been all screwed up. It's like I told you the other night, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine."

Matt ran his hands back through his long, curly hair, and took a swig of his beer. He sighed. "Well something's not right, 'cause you look like hell."

Jeff glanced at his reflection in the window glass. He _did_ look like hell. Washed-out and sickly.

Fragile.

The young Hardy could feel the effect of years spent with Gangrel, pressing down like a sinister weight on his shoulders. He felt filthy, and used, and worn-out.

Jeff turned away from his sad, tired face in the window pane. He glanced at his brother, who was watching him warily, obviously not knowing quite what to say.

Sighing inwardly, he wondered if he should finally just tell Matt about Gangrel.

His brother was obviously already suspicious of something going on anyway.

He realized with a stab of anger that Matt probably thought he was popping pills again. He supposed he wouldn't be able to blame him for thinking that way. After all, he was pale, tired, thin, moody, anti-social…

It was only logical to think that drugs had caused this.

Jeff picked up his beer and took a long, deep pull from it. When he was finished, he thumped the half-empty bottle down onto the wooden tabletop and sat back in his seat, glowering.

Jeff looked across the table at his brother. He wanted so badly to tell Matt everything, to share his dark secret with the person he trusted most in the world.

Looking away, he abruptly reminded himself that it could never happen. Matt could never find out about his situation with the vampire. It would be disastrous, should his brother ever discover what was going on. He would rush in, rage at a boiling point, fists flying.

And Jeff knew exactly how that confrontation would play out. Gangrel would play with him, attempting to manipulate him to his will. He would wheedle his way into Matt's mind, trying to force him to do things he didn't want to do. It made Jeff sick to think about that perverted fuck of a vampire getting off on his brother's hatred and fear, arrogantly forcing his influence upon him.

At some point, however, Jeff knew the vampire would tire of playing his games. And when that happened, his brother's fate would have to be decided.

Gangrel really only had two options. He could either force Matt to drink his blood, enslaving him as he had Jeff, or he could simply wash his hands of the entire matter, and drain him dry.

Gangrel had always been purposely ambiguous when it came to his possible intentions for Matt. There had always been an implied threat there, though as long as Jeff remained obedient to him, the vampire had never seemed to have any desire to include the older Hardy in his sick amusements.

Jeff didn't want Matt even remotely involved in his problems with Gangrel. Therefore, he had long ago resolved to never say anything to him about his vampire master, no matter how dire his situation became.

He had to keep to that decision now.

Jeff would keep his head down, and he would do as he was told, if it would protect Matt. He knew there was no way to shield _himself_ from Gangrel, but at least he could keep his brother safe.

The young Hardy glanced up at Matt. He was sipping at his beer, a troubled expression on his face.

"So, what about your feud with that little prick Drew?", Jeff said suddenly, abruptly shifting the topic of conversation, "I missed your match this week. What happened?"

Matt brightened. He loved talking wrestling with his little brother. "That little fuck kicked me in the face!" He pointed to a mark on his cheek. "You wouldn't believe the shit I had to go through to pin his ass…"

Matt spoke, and Jeff listened. And he realized, with a tinge of sadness, that this was the only hint of normality he ever experienced anymore.

Shaking himself out of his perpetual melancholy, he decided to enjoy it.

[xxxxx]

Edge and Christian sat at a table across the room from the Hardy brothers. Sipping at tall glasses of Molson beer, they kept a steady eye on Jeff, who, they saw with concern, was not doing a very good job of concealing his emotional and physical state from his brother.

"Gangrel must be working him over _good_", Adam said softly, gazing at Jeff over the brim of his glass.

"Yeah, he looks fucking _terrible_", said Jay, "How can Matt not see that?"

Adam shook his head. "Don't pile any of the blame on Matt. He has no reason to believe anything is wrong, especially when Jeffro is constantly feeding him believable excuses and lies. Remember, he's gonna find out about all this sooner or later, and then he'll be feeling _plenty_ guilty."

Jay leaned his head on his hand, bored. He saw Matt begin moving his hands about in wild, jerky motions while he excitedly spoke to Jeff about something. The younger Hardy, for his part, looked happy just to be there, in safe surroundings, with someone who cared for him. There was a small smile on his pale lips.

Jeff's cell phone rang suddenly, interrupting whatever mundane story Matt had been telling.

The smile abruptly disappeared from Jeff's face.

Adam and Jay watched him slowly pick the device up and, with shaking hands, press the button to answer it.

He listened for a moment, his eyes locked on the hotel carpet, face expressionless. Then, without speaking a word, he hung up.

Edge and Christian saw Matt ask who that had been. Jeff said no one. He said a telemarketer.

Matt resumed speaking, but Jeff didn't appear to be listening now. He stared down at his tightly-clasped hands, fidgeting and glancing towards the exit once in a while.

Five minutes after receiving the phone call, Jeff said he had to go to the bathroom.

Adam and Jay watched him walk out of the hotel lounge.

"Let's go", said Edge quietly.

Silently, the two of them followed, praying they would intercept Jeff in time.

[xxxxx]

A few minutes after hanging up the phone, Jeff rose. He let Matt know that he was running to the bathroom, adding that he'd be back in a few minutes. Not waiting to hear his brother's reply, the younger Hardy turned and hurriedly exited the lounge.

Jeff paused only for a moment, to ponder going back upstairs for his coat. With a heavy sigh, he realized that he simply didn't have time. Gangrel was waiting for him and he knew that the vampire was always looking for any excuse to punish him. He couldn't be late. The young Hardy sped down the stairs and across the lobby, toward the main doors at the front of the building.

Before leaving, he stopped to fix his rumpled appearance, running a hand back through his hair, and straightening his clothes. He knew he was pale and somewhat unkempt, but there was nothing he could do about that at this point. Gangrel would have to deal with it.

Shuddering, he remembered the vampire's words to him on the phone: "Wait 5 minutes, Jeffrey, then come outside. I wish to talk with you."

Talk. Jeff held down bitter laughter at the thought of the two of them, conversing peacefully. Gangrel never simply _talked_. He swept in whenever he felt like it and tore him apart, piece by piece by piece. That was his role. Jeff's was to kneel, and be silent, and take it. It was foolish to think that anything else was possible.

The young Hardy had no illusions about the way this night would end.

Miserable and afraid, Jeff pushed open the double doors and made his way into the chilly air.

The first thing he noticed, with a sinking feeling in his gut, was that the street was completely empty. He had hoped that there would be a crowd milling about, as Gangrel would be less likely to do anything to him around other people.

Hugging himself tightly against the frigid night air, Jeff began carefully scanning the shadows for any sign of his vampire master.

"_Come to me, Jeffrey, and I shall gladly warm you_", Gangrel's arrogant voice suddenly echoed softly in his head, startling him out of his own thoughts.

Resigned, Jeff walked, coatless, into the biting wind, his slim body quaking in the bitter cold. He knew that Gangrel was watching his every step, his every movement, from somewhere beyond his sight, in the darkness. The thought made him sick with fear, and infuriated him, all at once.

He was tired of being hunted like an animal. Didn't this game ever get old?

Coming to the corner, Jeff waited for some cars to pass. A particularly cold wind blew, causing him to bring his arms around himself again. It didn't really help. He hoped Gangrel had a place nearby where he could warm himself up.

A few more cars sped by.

Suddenly, Jeff's eyes were drawn towards the foot of the shadowy building across the street. He thought he saw something within the darkness, moving around. Silent, and pale against the night.

The young Hardy gasped as Gangrel suddenly walked into the pool of light cast by the streetlamp. The vampire's eyes were fixed unwaveringly on Jeff, who stared back, uncomfortably noting the arrogant smirk twisting Gangrel's thin lips.

"_My, Jeffrey, you're looking lovely tonight._" Jeff jumped when he heard the vampire's voice in his head."_Pale and wilting, like a delicate flower._"

The young Hardy glared as he felt the vampire's amusement shimmer across their blood bond. The yellowish light illuminating Gangrel made him look ghostly, and every bit the monster that he was.

Jeff looked away from the disturbing tableau, waiting for the traffic to diminish so he could cross.

"JEFF!", a cry suddenly rang out from down the street.

Distantly, he heard pounding footsteps, coming his way.

"Jeff, where the hell are you?"

Jeff gasped, his eyes widening. What the fuck were they doing here?

The young Hardy glanced over at Gangrel. The vampire was glaring in the direction of the voices, rage distorting his features.

"JEFF!" The cry came again, closer this time.

Jeff's eyes met Gangrel's. Terrified, the young human took a step back from the curb.

"So, my lovely one", spoke the vampire, watching Jeff's cowering form with a steady, fierce glower, "My clever boy. You have finally betrayed me. I suppose I should have known you would disobey my edict sooner or later. I should have realized that, given the circumstances, you would sneak off to my former whores to beg for help."

Jeff was dumbstruck. He could find no words to deny him, though his assertions were certainly lies, and none of this was actually his fault. His mouth worked, but he was so frightened that he just stood there, silent, letting it all slowly sink in. Gangrel thought he'd asked Adam and Jay to free him? He had it all wrong…

Why Edge and Christian were running around the streets screaming his name in the middle of the night was beyond him. The last time he'd spoken to them it was to tell them, in a not-so-polite manner, to back off. So why the fuck were they here, making his life a thousand times worse than it had to be? Why couldn't they leave him alone?

Jeff's eyes remained locked on Gangrel's. The vampire stood still on the curb across the street, golden eyes frigid, face expressionless.

Waiting.

Two seconds later, quick, noisy footsteps echoed between the silent buildings.

Adam and Jay appeared a half-block away, panting from exertion. They saw Jeff, standing on the curb, frozen, his wide green eyes staring across the street.

Jay ran over to him and dropped a gentle hand onto the younger man's trembling shoulder. "Jeff, are you okay?"

Jeff's eyes remained fixed on the pool of light cast by the flickering streetlamp across the street. "Where the fuck did he go?", the young Hardy whispered, fear soaking his tone, "Where is he?"

Jeff suddenly yelled out in pain and surprise as his body was jerked backwards with force. One of Gangrel's arms tightly encircled his arms and torso. His other hand covered Jeff's mouth.

The young Hardy stood stock-still, too frightened to struggle against his undead captor.

He knew Gangrel had always held a deep-seated hatred for Edge and Christian. Jeff prayed that he, being held firmly in the vampire's grip, would not bear the physical brunt of that.

This was what he had been trying to prevent. This was why he'd wanted them to stay away from him in the first place.

"Let him go, god dammit!", Adam spit, his hands balled into tight, white-knuckled fists.

Gangrel glared at his former slaves, his amber eyes glinting in the low light.

"You may have found a way out of my grasp, Adam", he hissed, "And I may not be allowed to touch either of you now, but that does not mean that you are afforded the right to order me about."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I wouldn't _dream_ of ordering you around, Gangrel", he said, "After all, _humans_ were born into this world to serve _vampires_, isn't that right? It's simply the natural order of things. At least, that's what you always you used to tell us, over and over, as if you were trying to justify your sick actions. Vampires are higher up on the food chain, so they _must_ be allowed to do whatever they please with the human cattle."

Jay added, "It's a shame that the Ruling Council didn't agree with that sentiment."

Gangrel hissed, "The Ruling Council is nothing to me-"

"Bullshit!", interrupted Adam, taking a step forward, "If they were nothing to you, then you would show your cowardly ass in public. If they were nothing, we'd have been dead years ago. You're scared to death of them, and of what they'll do when they find you." The blonde wrestler tilted his head, regarding the vampire with narrowed eyes. "You're supposed to be in exile, aren't you? Someplace far, far away from here. But you've decided that hiding out here and molesting Jeff nightly is preferable to obeying their law."

Jay shot the vampire a fierce glower. "How do you think your Ruling Council would feel about the fact that you've taken yet another human slave? I'm sure they'd love to hear about that."

Adam watched the vampire closely, his eyes intense. "I'm also sure they'd love to know that you've not only _taken_ a slave, against their ordinance, but you've abused the shit out of him, over and over, every night, so that he's barely able to function anymore."

Jeff whimpered as the vampire's grip suddenly tightened.

Gangrel laughed, a cold, cruel laugh. "_Abused_ him? I haven't abused him. Have I, Jeffrey?" He removed his hand from the young Hardy's mouth.

Jeff stood there, frozen, Gangrel's arms wrapped tightly around him. He looked utterly lost, and terrified. "Jeffrey?", the vampire prompted once more, impatience lacing his tone. Gangrel's nails began to push into the tender flesh of the young Hardy's upper arms.

Whimpering, Jeff shook his head, shame and disgust cascading off of him in waves. A tear slid down the pale skin of his cheek. "No…", he rasped, "You haven't abused me."

Gangrel bent over Jeff's arm and licked at the small wounds that had been opened up. The young Hardy was perfectly still, his eyes tightly closed. Smirking, the vampire stood straight again and began to absently pet Jeff's hair, his eyes locked with Adam's. "You see?", he said, "Jeff is perfectly happy. He is my lovely one, my beautiful pet. Unlike the two of you." His tone was suddenly contemptuous. "You two were simply my whores."

"Fuck you, you piece of shit!", snarled Jay.

Gangrel laughed, a cruel sound. He pulled Jeff's hair back with crude force, causing the young Hardy to whimper in pain.

"Do not despair, Jason. Jeffrey is well-cared for. After all, many slaves have bowed before me, but he has always been my favorite. The taste of him…", whispered the vampire, smiling slightly, "I could feed upon him for the rest of my long years, and I would never grow weary of the taste of his blood, nor the sweet flavor of his tears, and his sweat, and his skin."

Gangrel bent down, and, as if to prove his point, he slowly licked up the side of Jeff's slender neck.

"Please, stop it-", Jeff whispered.

Suddenly, Edge and Christian saw him tense. Looking to Gangrel, they realized why. The vampire's fangs had lengthened, and were threatening to penetrate the tender skin of Jeff's throat.

Adam growled, "Let him go-"

"Shut the fuck up, you little bitch", Gangrel hissed, his tone suddenly filled with rage. He stood straight, pulling Jeff close against his chest. Adam and Jay looked on, furious, but helpless to do anything.

"Go to the Council if you want, boys", the vampire snarled, "Tell them your stories. But I guarantee you, they won't listen. They'll never even let you in the door. And if they do, by some miracle, decide to pursue the matter, I can promise you that Jeffrey will be the one to suffer for it. The Magistrates will be sent to retrieve me, and yet the only thing they will find upon entering my room to take me away is Jeffrey's pretty, lithe young body, dead on the floor. I'll be long gone, and he will have died for nothing. Don't go to the Council, boys. Don't force me to kill Jeff. I really don't have any wish to do so."

Turning his back to them, Gangrel began to walk away, dragging Jeff forcibly by his arm.

Ignoring the curses and pursuing footsteps of his former slaves, Gangrel came to a stop next to a car parked on the side of the street. The vampire pulled his fist back and punched a hole through the window, reaching through the shards of broken glass to open the lock manually. Then, looking at Jeff, he roughly said, "Get in."

Jeff really didn't want to get into that car, especially considering the vampire's current mood. He hesitated for a moment, staring at the vehicle, trying to think of anyway he'd possibly be able to get out of this. All the while knowing there _was_ no way out.

Jeff cried out as he was suddenly hefted over the vampire's shoulder and violently dumped into the back seat. He hit his head on the opposite door's armrest, so he was dazed and in pain. When he came back to full consciousness, he felt a freezing blast of air hit him in the face, and he immediately realized it was coming in from the broken window. The car was moving, fast. Looking to the front, he saw Gangrel's pale face relected in the mirror. He wore an expression of unchecked rage. Jeff noticed how intensely he was watching the road, his strange eyes flicking back and forth, back and forth.

The vampire suddenly made a sharp, violent turn, at full speed. Jeff flew back into the door, hitting his head again. He lay there, wondering where they were going, and when all of this would end.

That was when he realized that he was being watched.

Like a thousand poisonous spiders, he felt the vampire's stare moving over his skin. Panicked, he glanced up. Those unnatural eyes were fixed upon him. Jeff shuddered under that gaze, knowing only that Gangrel's cold glare promised terrible things to come.

The young Hardy laid back and tightly shut his eyes.

As he had so many times before, he prayed for dawn. The morning sun had, after all, saved him more times than he could count.

A couple of hours. Then Gangrel would be forced to find shelter for the day. He could get through a couple of hours.

But first, he realized, he had to concentrate on surviving the night.

[xxxxx]

Adam and Jay stood there, watching, as Jeff was dropped like a bag of trash into the back of Gangrel's stolen car. The vampire moved with superhuman speed to get around to the driver's side, practically pulling the door off of the car in his anger.

"Let him go, you perverted fuck!", screamed Jay.

Gangrel snarled something unintelligible at the two of them, before driving off at top speed in a cloud of exhaust.

Edge and Christian watched the car disappear into the distance.

"C'mon, Jay", said Adam, after a few moments of uncomfortable silence, "There's nothing else to do here. We tried. Let's head back to the hotel, and try to come up with a better plan of attack."

"While Jeff is being ripped apart by that fucking parasite?", Jay spat in return, "You wanna go drink beer and _talk_ about this while Jeff is beaten and raped?"

Adam rubbed at his eyes. "No, I don't. I want to go kill that piece of shit, same as you. I want to shove a stake up his ass, and make him beg for mercy, the way he made us beg. I want to make him suffer. But if we try to fight him now, with no plan of action, he'll kill us both. And then where will Jeff be?"

The two began walking back towards the hotel, in silence. After a moment, something occurred to Jay.

"Shit!", he exclaimed, "What the hell are we gonna tell Matt about his brother?"

"Oh, hell", said Adam, slapping himself on the forehead. One of them should've remembered the errant Hardy Boy, who was probably wandering the streets at this point, looking for Jeff.

The two spent the rest of the short walk back discussing what they would say when they found Matt.

Returning to the lounge, Adam and Jay ordered some more drinks, then immediately searched out their target.

They found the older Hardy brother at a table by the window. As they approached him, he was closing his phone, just ending a call. He looked apprehensive. Matt looked down at his watch, furrowed his brow in concern, then craned his neck towards the door.

"Hey, Matty", greeted Adam.

Both he and Jay walked up to Hardy's table, smiles on their faces, fresh Molsons in their hands.

"Mind if we join?", asked Jay as he took a seat across from Matt. Adam sat down next to him.

Glancing towards the door again, Matt said in a distracted tone, "Uh, sure. So what's going on, guys?"

Jay shrugged. "Not much. We're just hanging out, getting a little drunk. Same old, same old. But we did see something out of the ordinary a few minutes ago that might interest you."

Matt rolled his eyes. He never followed any of the locker room gossip, and he certainly didn't give two shits about it now, when his brother had disappeared into thin air. "Um, hate to disappoint, Jay, but it more than likely will _not_ interest me."

"Even if it involves Jeffro?", Adam asked coyly, arching an inquisitive eyebrow. He sipped at his beer, watching Matt watch him.

"What are you talking about?", Matt said, hackles raised at the mention of his brother.

"Oh, we just saw him outside", said Jay, gesturing with his head to indicate the direction of the door, "Getting into a cab with Brie Bella, no less! I don't know how he did it, but-"

"How the hell would that have happened?", Matt asked, confusion evident in his tone, "I mean, he ran out of here a half hour ago, and he really wasn't looking well. I thought he'd be heading up to sleep soon. So how could he possibly be pulling off a one-night stand with one of the sluttiest girls on the roster?"

"Don't know, man", Adam replied, shrugging, "We just thought we'd pass on the happy news."

They rose, and Matt sighed.

"Go to bed, Matty", Jay said quietly, "Jeffy wouldn't want you worrying over him."

The older Hardy didn't notice the stiff frown that flashed across Christian's face, or the sadness lurking behind his eyes.

As Matt rose to leave, Adam stopped him by gently tugging at the sleeve of his shirt. He turned, slightly irritated.

Adam gave a crooked grin, the type of arrogant smirk he showed competitors while doing promos on TV.

"Let us know what happened with Jeff tonight, yeah?"

Matt pulled his arm free, said goodnight, and left for his room.

Adam and Jay were relieved to see him go.

"I wasn't sure he was gonna buy that at first", Jay said, collapsing into one of the couches arrayed about the room, "Now that I'm thinking about it, it is kind of a stretch for Jeffro to run off and have a one-night-stand. I mean, he hasn't exactly been Mr. Personality these last few years."

"I know, it wasn't the best excuse, but we had to tell him something", Adam replied, "Besides, it'll all work itself out when Gangrel drops Jeff off. I'm sure he'll heal him up, so we won't have to worry about Jeff looking like shit warmed over. We'll just stay up and wait for him. When he comes back, we'll tell him to tell Matt that he was out with Brie, and that he had a damn good time."

Jay sighed. "Can I at least drink beer while I wait?"

Adam clinked his glass against Christian's. "Hell yes, my friend."

At some point, they knew, a confession would be necessary. Matt would have to be filled in on Jeff's situation.

But not yet.

[xxxxx]

Jeff lay on his side in the back seat of the freezing car, shivering uncontrollably. The cold was really starting to get to him now. He could feel it settling into his bones, slowing his reflexes, numbing his senses. Shutting his eyes, the young Hardy hugged himself tightly against the bitter wind and lay as still as possible. It was an instinct to feign unconsciousness in these situations, though he knew it would do him no good. Gangrel always did what he wanted anyway.

The car came to an abrupt stop. Jeff heard the engines cut, and the front door swing open. His stomach dropped out as the anticipation began to rise within him. He kept his eyes shut, for once, refusing to look. He did not want to see the bestial rage upon the vampire's face as he grew closer. Neither did he wish to see those cold, unnatural eyes, both accusatory and fiercely possessive in their stare, raking over his prone form.

Jeff's breath hitched in his throat as he heard Gangrel's measured footsteps coming towards him. He lay perfectly still, waiting. Jeff was shivering almost uncontrollably now, the freezing air slicing his exposed skin like an invisible blade.

Suddenly, his door was torn open, and the young Hardy was brutally pulled out of the car. He hit the ground hard, landing on his side. Immediately, Jeff began scurrying backwards, away from the enraged vampire. Gangrel followed, watching him crawl on the hardened soil, his face unsettlingly expressionless.

"Please", Jeff begged, "Please, Gangrel, don't do this. I swear, I never betrayed you-"

The vampire's fangs extended, thick and long. He growled low in his throat.

"Please!" Jeff was crying now, fat tears running unchecked down his face. "Don't-"

Gangrel pounced suddenly, moving more quickly than Jeff's eye could see. He was now straddling the young Hardy's stomach, pinning him down with his legs. Before Jeff could even struggle, the vampire's teeth were in his neck. He screamed in pain as blood was forcibly drawn from his body, in great, torrential gulps.

After a few moments, Gangrel ripped his fangs from Jeff's throat, leaving behind two bleeding puncture wounds.

The vampire gave the young Hardy no time to recover from the vicious attack. Rearing back, he hit Jeff across the face, watching with grim satisfaction as his victim's head flew back and slapped against the ground. He hit him three more times, sadistically enjoying the sight of Jeff's head flying around as if it were on a swivel.

"Stop", Jeff begged, his voice thick and dazed, "Please, stop-"

His desperate plea morphed into a choked, startled cry as he was roughly thrown over Gangrel's shoulder and dumped on the ground by the rear of the car.

The vampire loomed over Jeff, who recoiled in fear. He growled, "You brought this on yourself, Jeffrey."

He kicked Jeff in the ribs, bringing a scream of agony. Another kick, another scream.

Jeff couldn't restrain a pained whimper as he was dragged to his feet by his hair.

"I seem to have made a grave error, Jeffrey. Obviously, I was foolish to leave you alone these past months", Gangrel snarled as he roughly handled the younger man. "You've forgotten who you belong to."

"Please let me go", Jeff begged, not caring that he sounded weak and desperate.

The vampire hit him again, hard enough to bring a spot of blood to his lips. Before he could back away or try to shield himself from Gangrel's attacks, Jeff suddenly found himself being thrown viciously to the ground. He tried to crawl away, but the vampire grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back. Jeff struggled against Gangrel's superior strength, biting, clawing, and screaming in terror and frustration. The vampire didn't seem to notice his efforts, however, as he easily tore the clothes from his body.

The young Hardy began to panic as the vampire crawled on top of him like a pale, overgrown snake.

"You wanted to keep company with the whores, Jeffrey", Gangrel growled, "We shall see if you keep to that determination after tonight, when I make you _my_ whore."

Jeff shook his head, his mouth working in mute protest.

The vampire pulled out his cock and entered him dry, all in one swift, terrible movement. Jeff screamed, feeling his insides tearing, feeling his asshole ripping apart. Every motion Gangrel made was pure agony.

The vampire suddenly pushed his needle-sharp teeth into Jeff's neck, drawing another scream. He continued to thrust, bleeding him, fucking him raw. Jeff couldn't remember when he had felt so much pain.

"Stop!", Jeff begged weakly, "Stop…"

He was on the edge of consciousness, between the loss of blood, and the extended exposure to the cold temperatures. Seeing the younger man's head lolling about, Gangrel withdrew his fangs and slapped him across the face, to bring him back to his senses. He wasn't ready for him to pass out just yet.

As Jeff opened his pain-glazed green eyes and looked fully on the vampire, an expression of horror crossed his face.

Gangrel smiled. There was much fun yet to be had here.

[xxxxx]

"What time is it?", drawled Jay, his head drooping.

Adam sighed and glanced down at his watch. "A little past 4:30", he replied quietly.

They'd been sitting in the lounge and watching the street outside for about four hours now, and there had been no sign of Jeff yet.

Suddenly, a car drove up to the front entrance. They both sat up.

"Is that-?"

They watched a woman get out of the passenger seat and walk into the front door of the hotel.

The two wrestlers sat back, disappointed.

"Do you think he's alright?", asked Jay, staring down at the street.

"I hope so", replied Adam quietly.

Another car pulled up out front, leaving a trail of skid marks behind its smoking tires.

"Wait a minute; I think that's-?", said Jay, staring down at the smoking vehicle.

"Yeah, that's the car he took!", Adam replied excitedly, "C'mon! We've gotta catch Jeff!"

The two jumped to their feet and ran towards the hotel's front exit.

They found Jeff entering the building, looking weak, pale, and exhausted. His clothing was ripped in several places, and he was visibly shaking from the cold. There were, as Adam had earlier predicted, no visible injuries on him, meaning Gangrel must have, at one point during the evening, taken the time to heal him. Jeff appeared, however, as if he were on the verge of a breakdown. Nothing could conceal that.

Jeff hugged himself, his teeth still chattering as if he were standing naked in the snow. He watched Edge and Christian distrustfully.

"God, Jeffy", Jay whispered, "What the hell did he do to you?"

Jeff glared. "If you must know, Jason, he beat the holy fuck out of me. He raped me, and he tortured me, and then he drank my blood. And normally, you know, I can cope with all the shit he throws my way, because I figure, well, I don't have a choice, and it's my fucking place, or whatever you might call it. But tonight, well, tonight, that just fucking pissed me off. Because that entire thing was your fucking fault! I told you to stay the hell away from me, and you insisted on tailing me! Well a fuck of a lot of good that did!" Jeff took a step forward, getting into Adam and Jay's faces. "I want the two of you to listen to me, and listen fucking good. Stay the fuck away from me! Don't talk to me. Don't look at me. Don't even fucking think about me. You can't help me."

Before they could say a word in response, Jeff shouldered roughly past them, and walked towards the elevators.

"Well", Jay said dejectedly as the two of them watched him go, "That plan didn't work out too well, did it?"

**Oh jeez, Jeffy's pissed! Stay the hell out of his way!**

**Spoiler alert! Next chapter, we're gonna find out who Jeffy's mysterious savior is, so you're going to want to stick around for that!**

**PLEASE SEND ME REVIEWS! I need reviews like Gangrel needs blood; they make my pale complexion better, and improve my constitution. :)**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Poor Jeffy. Gangrel treats him like shit. But in this chapter, there are going to be events set in motion that could help him out. And Lord knows he could use a little help right now… :P**

**Thanks to all who reviewed, favorited, or alerted! It's always super-mucho appreciated. :)**

**Jacobluver113, thanks for sticking with me through the craziness! I have to agree with you; there's just something very **_**appealing**_** about Gangrel lording over a scared and submissive Jeffro. It never gets old. :) And yeah, Matty's clueless, but I can promise you, that'll be changing sooner or later. ;)**

**Takers dark lover, it's true, Adam and Jay don't listen. But I suppose they ignored all of Jeff's pleas to leave him alone because they were so eager to kick some vampire ass. :)**

**Slashdlite, Gangrel acts like a big man when he is standing over Jeff, but how would he act if he were forced to face the Council? I have a feeling he'd pee his pants. Everyone has a weakness; I suppose the Council is his.**

**Animal Luvr 4 Life, Jeffy will be okay…. eventually. };)**

**Neroanne, LOL. "He mindfucks him and assfucks him." Oh, how true. I think Gangrel needs a hobby; maybe cross-stitching. Maybe then, he'd chill out a little. Thanks for your review; it made me happy! :)**

**Rhiannamator, I originally was going to write Matty as the cliché, overprotective older brother. And then, I immediately said to myself, "Every story you read has Matty running after Jeff, trying to save him from whatever evil is plaguing him. Let's do something different." Therefore, I ended up going the exact opposite route. Matty is utterly oblivious to his brother's predicament. It's not that he's stupid, it's just that he's a little bit self-absorbed. Thank you for your compliment. I wanted the rape scene to be dirty and fast-paced, and to truly reflect Gangrel's rage. (sigh) Poor Jeffy. The things I do to him. :) As for Jeffro's return to the hotel, upon reading it again, I do agree that Jeff could've used a bit of comforting from the Canadians. After all, everyone needs a little E&C love every now and then, right? :)**

**Seraphalexiel, oh yeah, it's definitely gonna take some planning and some doing to get Gangrel away from Jeffro. He likes his sex slave a little **_**too**_** much and, I suppose I can empathize with him on some level. After all, if **_**you**_** had Jeff Hardy as a sex slave, wouldn't you beat the shit out of anyone that tried to take him away from you? :)**

**The WWE owns almost everything in this story. TNA is lucky enough to own Mr. Jeffro Nero Hardy and Monsieur Matthew Moore Hardy (not in a vampire/human slave kind of way, but then again, one never knows how Dixie Carter actually treats her wrestlers behind closed doors.) Gangrel, just in case he's feeling sue-happy, owns himself.**

**Abandon all hope, ye who enter here…. };)**

Jeff looked around at his surroundings, fear written plainly upon his face.

He was standing in the wilderness, half-naked and freezing. He had no idea where he was. An empty, desolate field surrounded him, its flat and barren landscape broken only by the sight of an abandoned car and a dirt road lying at its far-distant border.

Jeff froze when he suddenly heard the vampire creeping up behind him. Gangrel leaned down, his ice-cold lips brushing up against the younger man's ear.

His cruel, velvety whisper seemed to echo dimly in the silence, long after the actual words were spoken.

"Get on your knees, Jeffrey", the vampire commanded softly, "It is time for you to be reminded of who you belong to."

Jeff dropped to his knees before the vampire, not hesitating, not thinking. He bowed his head submissively, long, tangled hair falling into his eyes and hiding his pale face.

He knelt, staring at the floor, waiting for something to happen. He could feel Gangrel's cold eyes roaming over his body, appraising every inch of him.

Frigid hands began to caress his skin. Impossibly strong arms encircled him, trapping him in a bruising embrace.

He endured the lustful touches, the burning eyes. And when the fangs finally tore into the tender flesh of his throat he, as always, tried desperately to ignore the searing pain.

Warm blood spilled out, running from the gaping wound in his neck down onto his chest and stomach. Slowly, ever so slowly, his mind penetrated the veil of pain that had imprisoned it. He suddenly came to realize that Gangrel had consumed far too much.

A sick feeling of dread washed over him. He could feel himself dying, inch by inch, his lifeblood draining with every breath he took.

Gangrel stood over him, watching him die. The vampire watched him struggle for each breath, his smirk widening, his teeth growing sharper…

The young Hardy's eyes slid open.

He blinked several times, trying to wake, trying to dispel the remnants of a very unwelcome and unpleasant dream.

Rolling over, Jeff burrowed deep into the thick hotel comforter. He glanced over at the bedside clock, registering distantly that it was just before 1:00 in the afternoon. He shut his eyes against the daylight, not caring to see it. Thinking back to his dream, he wished bitterly that he could find some way to stop last night's ordeal from playing over and over in his head like some type of macabre theatrical production.

Jeff rolled over and threw the covers over his head. He lay still and silent as death.

It didn't take long for him to find sleep again.

He saw himself, lying naked on his side in the fetal position, surrounded by darkness. He was ragged and beaten down, and filthy. A soft voice spoke to him from a distant place and, though he could make out no words, he knew that it offered no comfort.

"Ah, but you _deserve_ no comfort", said the voice suddenly, its tone matter-of-fact. It was a soft-spoken male, one whom Jeff did not recognize. "You deserve nothing, Jeffrey, because you are a bloodsucker's whore. You do not try to save yourself; you simply languish in prolonged agony, assuming that you are beyond redemption."

The voice paused. When it sounded again the speaker was much closer, though Jeff still could see nothing in the surrounding darkness.

Jeff gasped when he suddenly felt ice-cold fingers brush across the back of his neck. "Once you willingly give into his desires, Jeffrey, you belong to him. There is no going back. Remember that."

"Who the hell are you?", Jeff asked, looking around wildly, his hand rubbing at the skin on the back of his neck.

Quiet laughter filled the darkness. "No one you know."

The young Hardy woke with a start.

He gazed around the room, taking it in, trying to clear the cobwebs from his sleep-addled brain. The last vestiges of sunset were playing across the walls, bathing everything in a red haze. God, how long had he been asleep?

Groaning, Jeff sat up. He was weak and aching, and soaked in cold sweat. Tearing the blankets off, he let the processed air of the heater run over his clammy skin.

Jeff tried to rally himself, knowing that he should rise and make himself presentable. He had to find his brother, and make some mundane excuse for disappearing last night. Matt would be worrying over his unexplained absence, after all, and if he didn't tie up this loose end, it could come back to haunt him later.

The simple fact was, though, he'd have rather lay here all night, undisturbed. Here, alone, he wasn't forced to face up to his own reality. He could simply… pretend that Gangrel didn't exist. Pretending was the only thing that kept his sanity in tact, at times.

Jeff hated facing his brother, lying to him, pasting fake smiles on to convince him that everything was normal and as it should be. He hated Edge and Christian's weighty glances just as much, their knowing looks that said, "We know what you've been through, Jeff. We know." He hated having to avoid them, when they were the only people in the world who actually understood his pain.

He hated the mask he was forced to wear, but more than that, he hated the sadistic bastard who forced him to wear it. Gangrel had stolen everything good from his life, piece by piece.

Now, Jeff had little left, except a career he cared nothing for, and a brother who barely knew him.

The young Hardy lay down again, willing sleep to once again overtake his troubled mind. These days, it was the only escape he was afforded-

Suddenly, he let out a sharp gasp and sat up, his eyes blindly roaming his now-pitch black surroundings. He heard nothing, and saw nothing, though he could definitely feel that there had been a shift in the room, palpable as electricity in the air before a storm.

Jeff's stomach clenched in fear.

"Good evening, Jeffrey", Gangrel said smoothly from somewhere near the foot of the bed.

The young Hardy scrambled blindly away from the sound of the unearthly voice, panicked. He hit the wall and reached out, trying desperately to find the bedside lamp. The last thing he wanted, after all, was to be trapped in the darkness with the sadistic vampire… _again_. Panting in terror, knowing that any second Gangrel's hands could be wrapped around his throat, Jeff finally located the light and flipped the switch.

He was horrified to find Gangrel sitting on the edge of his bed, watching him with an amused expression upon his pale face.

Jeff gasped and recoiled, clambering backwards into the corner. He hugged his knees to his chest protectively, bracing himself for another painful assault.

But Jeff quickly came to realize, upon further observation, that his blonde tormentor was calm and sated, in direct opposition to the previous night. He sat, unmoving, watching Jeff with a tiny smirk upon his pale features. If the young Hardy didn't know him better, he would swear that the man was only here for a casual chat.

There was a long, drawn-out moment of strained silence.

"Why the hell are you here?", Jeff asked weakly, his voice shaking, "Didn't you drink enough last night to tide you over for at least a few days?" He rubbed at his neck, recalling the painfully sharp teeth penetrating his vein, the unrelenting flow of his blood.

Gangrel threw his head back and laughed. Jeff glared at him, his green eyes filled with hate.

"Silly boy", he said, leaning forward, "I could drink your sweet blood until this world comes to its end, and still, I would not have had my fill of it." Jeff watched his tongue push out of his mouth and slowly run across his upper lip.

Jeff swallowed nervously, backing away. He was suddenly feeling very trapped, and very alone.

"You promised to let me heal, Gangrel", his voice sounded so _small_ to his own ears, "You know as well as I do that my body needs a few days to rest itself. My blood will taste thin if you try and drink from me tonight-"

"I have no intentions of drinking your delectable blood tonight, Jeffrey", Gangrel murmured distractedly. He was staring at Jeff's lips with an intensity that both alarmed and repulsed the young Hardy.

Jeff blinked. "Then- why are you here?"

The vampire grinned. He picked up a strand of Jeff's loose, messy hair and let it fall back to its place. "Do I need a reason to see my lovely pet?"

Jeff sat there, tense as a taut bowstring, watching the vampire. He hated when Gangrel got into these moods. If he had learned one thing about the vampire, it was that he was a creature of habit. He had specific preferences, specific appetites, specific kinks. So when Gangrel showed up for no apparent reason, and began saying unpredictable things that kept you just off balance enough to wonder what was going on, it was cause for major concern, as far as Jeff saw it.

He was, after all, usually the one in the path of the fallout.

Suddenly, Jeff realized that Gangrel wasn't sitting on the bed anymore. As usual, he heard the vampire coming before he saw him. A whoosh of air preceded a mass of moving darkness, faster than Jeff's human eyes could ever follow. Within a second, the vampire had landed atop his prey, straddling Jeff's pelvis and holding his wrists together over his head.

Jeff struggled half-heartedly in the firm grip, knowing escape was impossible.

"Please don't do this", he begged, hating himself for sounding so weak, "Please, not after last night-"

"Hush, Jeffrey", Gangrel replied, leering over his weaker captive, "You shouldn't beg. It's rather… undignified."

"But-"

"Silence", the vampire said quietly. Jeff stared up at his captor with wide, terrified eyes.

Gangrel's grip around Jeff's wrists tightened, eliciting a small, pained whimper that satisfied the vampire's malicious sensibilities. He smiled down at his slave.

"I have given thought to last night's… unpleasantness." He caressed Jeff's cheek with his free hand. "I realize now that I may have overreacted, given my history with Adam and Jay and the circumstances at the time I saw you. I am willing to forgive you for your disobedience and start anew. But I must make it clear, Jeffrey, that my forgiveness is contingent upon you never speaking to either one of them again. This is most important. Do you understand me?"

"Yes", Jeff answered quietly, a dull note to his response, "I understand."

"Good", Gangrel said agreeably, releasing the younger man's wrists, "Good boy."

The vampire moved off of Jeff's lap, allowing him to sit up. The young Hardy immediately scooted back into the corner again.

Gangrel, sitting on the edge of the bed, was straightening his clothing and smoothing the wrinkles from his jacket.

"Unfortunately, Jeffrey, I have no time to play with you tonight", he said, "I have some business that will call me beyond the city limits, and I'll not return by morning. But tomorrow night-" He grinned widely, revealing his fangs. Jeff looked away, disgusted. "Tomorrow night will be different entirely."

He gestured for the young Hardy to come sit next to him on the edge of the bed. Jeff reluctantly obeyed, praying that whatever business Gangrel had was truly pressing.

"It is time for me to leave", the vampire said softly, staring over at his young slave, "You wish to see me off in the proper manner, do you not?"

Jeff nodded half-heartedly.

"Good boy." The vampire smiled his sharp-toothed, predatory smile. "Kiss me goodbye, Jeffrey, so that the taste of you shall linger fresh upon my lips while I am away."

The young Hardy could not prevent a look of pure revulsion from crossing his wan features. He immediately covered it under an emotionless mask, however, as was expected.

Jeff leaned forward, his deadened green eyes fixed upon the expectant vampire. The young Hardy's lips crashed upon Gangrel's with false fervor, his tongue probing the corpse-like recesses of the vampire's mouth, exploring every inch of it.

"_He tastes like…blood_", thought Jeff,"_It's disgusting._"

Gangrel pulled back, licking his lips in satisfaction.

"I must go!", he said, rising, "I've already stayed on for far too long; I shall be late for my engagement." The vampire grinned down at Jeff, his sharp teeth showing. "But you, I know, shall think of me while I am away."

"Of course, Master", Jeff replied quietly.

Gangrel bent over and whispered in Jeff's ear, "I shall see you tomorrow night, then."

Jeff bowed his head. "Yes, Mas-"

He looked up sharply. The door had just closed. Gangrel was gone.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at the closed portal.

_Bastard…_

Jeff looked around at his silent hotel room, his sweat-stained sheets, his messy suitcase with clothes spilling out onto the floor. This room which, just hours before, had been such a refuge, now felt unwelcoming and cold.

He had to get out of here.

Standing slowly, Jeff made his way to the bathroom. He would be going out tonight, with or without Gangrel's permission.

He would deal with the consequences tomorrow night, when the vampire returned from wherever he had gone.

He just needed to walk away from this, even if it was only for a few hours.

He needed to find a way to forget.

[xxxxxxx]

"So, I may have a workable plan for getting to the Council", Adam said thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on his lips.

He and Jay were sitting in Adam's room, drinking beer and munching on Cheetos.

Jay raised an incredulous eyebrow. "You're kidding me. When did you come up with this?"

Adam took a long swig of his Molson.

"This is a plan that's actually been years in the making."

"And you never mentioned this plan of yours because-?"

Adam sighed. "Well, to be truthful, I honestly didn't think there was the slightest chance in hell that it could work."

"That's reassuring", Jay said dryly, "So what changed your mind? Why do you think it could work now?"

Adam grinned. "I don't. But it's all we've got, and Jeffy needs our help, so-"

Jay groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Orange Cheeto dust was rubbed into his blonde hair and forehead, much to Adam's amusement. "Look, why don't you just tell me what exactly it is you have in mind, Adam. Then I can tell you how fucking crazy you are, and we can move on with our lives."

Adam smiled. "Alright. Well, as you know, our biggest roadblock in getting to the Council has been finding a vampire in good standing with them that would take us there and vouch for us when we spoke against Gangrel, right?"

"Right", Jay agreed, "Vampires don't exactly hang on every street corner."

"Well, that's where my plan comes together. I know where one of their hangouts is. There's a bookstore, in Chicago; the vampires meet in an upstairs room or at least, they did a few years back. I know about it because Gangrel sent me there once, on an errand."

Jay stared. "You never told me about that."

Adam looked away. "Gangrel had you serving him in, uh, another capacity the night that I went. By the time I got back, you were in no condition to talk."

"Oh", was Jay's quiet reply. He took a deep breath, as if to steady himself.

"There wasn't much to tell anyway. We were staying in Chicago, and one night he just handed me an envelope, rattled off an address, and told me to deliver it. As soon as I got there, I handed the envelope over to the bookstore clerk. He took one look at it and dropped it on the desk, like he wanted nothing to do with it. He never even said anything, he just pointed to the stairs leading up to the second floor. So, I went up and found a room full of vampires, sitting around, talking. I thought they were gonna kill me when I walked in."

Jay's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"I told them I was Gangrel's slave, and that I'd been sent to deliver an envelope for them. They didn't fuck with me after that. After a minute, I just quietly backed out of the room and left."

"Vampire etiquette", Jay said bitterly, "Thou shalt not eat thy brother's human pet."

"It'll be different this time, though", said Adam grimly, "When we approach the vampires, we won't have the backing or protection of a vampire master. If we decide to go in, we'll be basically defenseless."

"Christ, Adam! Are you out of your mind? Going in there would be fucking suicidal! Hell, walking _by_ the building would be suicidal!", cried Jay, his face pale, eyes wide, "We could end up dead! Or, worse, we could end up being taken as slaves again! Is that what you want? To suck vampire cock for the next ten years of your life?" He paused, his gaze darkening. "I don't fucking trust vampires, and I never will. And neither should you! They only care about furthering their own agendas, and they'd as soon make you their next meal than listen to a word you've got to say."

"They won't attack us", Adam replied confidently, "After all, we've got valuable information to barter with. Every vampire in that room will know about the missing exile Gangrel. We know his whereabouts. When we tell them that, I'm sure they'll take us to the Council."

Jay sighed. "I don't know, Adam. It seems way too risky…"

"It's our best and only shot to help out Jeff."

Jay thought about it for a moment. "I swear to god, if you get me killed, I'll fucking make sure you suffer for it."

Adam smirked. "You worry too much."

He took a large bite out of a Cheeto, savoring its taste. The cheese-like flavor lingered on his tongue long after the insubstantial puff was swallowed and gone.

Jay studied his friend's face, trying to gauge just how serious he actually was about this. "You really believe that we can do this without getting ourselves killed in the process?"

Adam's light-hearted demeanor vanished abruptly. He frowned, shrugging noncommittally. "I honestly… don't know. But if we don't try something soon, we're either gonna be visiting Jeff in the nuthouse, or attending his funeral. This has to end, Jay, one way or the other. Jeff's on the edge, ready to snap any day now, and Gangrel's one mistake away from being captured by the other vampires. Something has to give. All _we_ have to do is make sure that Gangrel's the one who goes down first."

Jay looked at his friend for a long time, his blue eyes swimming with some impenetrable emotion.

After a few moments, he released a long, heavy sigh.

"So", he said, tilting his head questioningly, "when do we leave for Chicago?"

[xxxxxxx]

Jeff walked down the empty city street, hugging himself against the frigid winter chill. His eyes scanned the dark and unwelcoming shop fronts, trying to locate a bar, tavern, or pub. He badly needed a drink, and he would continue to trek through the frozen city until he located an establishment that would sell him one.

Hope blossomed when he suddenly saw a light up ahead. Quickening his pace, Jeff moved towards it.

A carved wooden sign moved with the wind, its letters obviously chiseled with crude hand tools. "The Aftermath", it read, words emblazoned on a large, fine piece of dark, mahogany wood. The edges of the sign boasted carved flames, painted in fading reds and oranges.

Jeff stared at the workmanship for a moment, always one to appreciate interesting artistry when he came upon it. He immediately decided to go in and see what this place was like.

The door was made of heavy, dark wood, and someone had painted the ornately-carved door handle red in an effort to match the sign, perhaps. "Nice touch", thought Jeff, smirking appreciatively.

He entered and stood in the doorway, looking around at the intriguing establishment.

It was very small, only one room, in fact. But they had made excellent use of their limited space; the room was beautifully decorated, all in dark woods, and red and black accents. Tea lights flickered restlessly on the bar, in sconces on the walls, and on each of the tables, casting a strange glow about the place.

The Aftermath was not nearly full yet, which was not surprising, considering it was only 9:30. In fact, Jeff noticed, there were only five or six patrons there, besides himself. That suited him just fine. He was in no mood to drink amongst rowdy partying college kids.

The young Hardy grabbed a seat at the almost-empty bar, and ordered a beer. He peeled his black trench coat off, and let it rest on the seat behind him. Sighing, he ran a hand through his wind-blown hair, and took a long, deep drink of the Guiness he'd ordered.

"Pardon me", inquired a soft, slightly-accented voice at his shoulder, "But may I sit here?"

Jeff turned around. He stared, dumbfounded into utter silence. The man before him was the very definition of beautiful, everything that Jeff might have found attractive before Gangrel completely decimated his sex drive, and wrecked his ability to form normal relationships with other people.

Pale blue eyes studied Jeff boldly, never blinking, never straying from their target. The young Hardy found that brashness to be incredibly mesmerizing.

Long, flowing black hair, worn loose, fell in waves down below the man's slim shoulders. Jeff was struck by how flawless his skin appeared to be, pale and porcelain-white. He had a Roman nose, high cheekbones, and full, defined lips. Jeff thought to himself that this man looked like one of those carved marble statues from Greece or Rome, come to life.

Jeff forced himself to stop staring, and replied, "Um, sure. Sit wherever you want to."

The other man sat down in the seat directly next to Jeff's, though the bar was largely empty. The young Hardy shot him a look, though the stranger did not seem to notice. He was busy ordering his usual drink, which turned out to be an exotic beer imported from India. Once he'd gotten settled, he turned to Jeff.

"So, it occurs to me that you are at a distinct disadvantage, in this moment", said the stranger, watching Jeff with his ice-blue eyes.

"What do you mean?", Jeff asked, looking back at the other man warily.

"Because I know your name, Jeffrey Hardy", he smiled, giving nothing away, "And as far as I am aware, you have yet to learn mine."

Jeff stared. "Funny, you don't seem like the average wrestling fan."

"Oh, I've never seen a wrestling match in my life", he replied, a grin splitting his handsome face, "I heard the college kids over in the corner discussing your presence a few minutes ago, right before they left. They were going to come over and ask for an autograph, but they decided that if you were out drinking alone, you must be having, as they put it, 'female problems'."

Jeff laughed. "Awful nice of them. Apparently they didn't realize that I'm gay."

The man smirked. "Indeed."

"So, as you say, you have me at a disadvantage. Are you going to tell me your name?", said the young Hardy, eyebrow raised inquisitively.

The man smiled, a secret, strange smile. "I've had several. But I prefer Gabriel."

"Gabriel", Jeff repeated, a soft grin upon his face, "You kind of look like a Gabriel. It fits."

Gabriel smiled his quiet, charming smile. "May I ask you a question, Jeffrey?"

Jeff nodded, his eyes rapt upon the other man.

Gabriel's smile faded as he gently touched the young Hardy's ruddy cheek. "Who is hurting you?"

Jeff drew back as if he had been burned. "What?", he hissed, staring at the other man with wide, frightened green eyes.

"There is no need to deny it, Jeffrey, I could tell from the moment you walked through the door. You are in pain. Terrible pain." He reached for Jeff's cheek again, but the young Hardy pulled away from his touch. "Tell me, Jeffrey. Tell me who is doing this to you, and perhaps I can help-"

Jeff stood and threw his coat on, readying himself to run out the door.

Gabriel took hold of his arm, gently, and pulled him around to face him. "Jeffrey, wait-"

"No! You can't help me, Gabriel. Just… leave me alone, alright?"

And with that, Jeff was gone, slamming the heavy wooden door open, and running out into the frigid winter night.

Gabriel collapsed back down into his chair, and ordered another of his spicy Indian beers. He stared down at the fine mahogany wood of the bar, pondering. Pondering.

Jeffrey Hardy was a rare beauty, and damaged at his core. He could see it plainly, though Jeff vehemently denied his pain.

"It would truly be an evil thing", he mused to himself, "to allow such a creature to languish in agony, his silent screams unheeded."

Yes, Gabriel looked forward to ridding Jeff of the demons that plagued him.

He would look into this matter without delay.

**Alright! So, another chapter of "Dry" is in the can, and there's still more questions than answers! **

**1.) Why wasn't Matt in this chapter, and is he ever coming back? **

**2.) Are Adam and Jay going to survive their trip to Chicago?**

**3.) What's going to happen when Gangrel gets back from his little field trip?**

**4.) Is Jeff clinically depressed, and should he be on medication?**

**5.) Most importantly, who the hell is this new guy Gabriel, why the hell was he all over Jeff, how will Gangrel react to his presence should he ever find out, and why is he bound and determined to free Jeff of his "demons"?**

**Find out next time!**

**The author loves REVIEWS…. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: WWE owns all. **

**Jeff and Matt Hardy are the property of TNA. **

**But Gangrel and Kevin Thorn, well, they're their own men, as far as I know. **

** (By the way, in case it's not made clear in the story, which is quite possible given my convoluted writing sometimes, the character Thorn is supposed to be AU Kevin Thorn. Thought it would be a crime not to throw him in, considering the fact that he also had a vampire gimmick. And, of course, considering how hot he is. Hotness is a prerequisite to participation in this story. I'm quite shallow, it would seem. **_**grin **_**)**

Adam and Jay stood at their gate, waiting. They were bathed in the early afternoon sunlight that was coming through the passenger lounge's floor-to-ceiling windows, neither noticing the lovely day outside. The two friends stood there, carry-on bags in hand, waiting impatiently for their flight to be called. Adam glanced down at his watch and released a sharp, angry huff when he saw the time.

"Fuck", he muttered, shifting nervously on the balls of his feet.

Jay shot him a sidelong glance. "What's wrong?", he asked.

The high-strung blonde began chewing on his nails. He glared over at the bored-looking airline employee shuffling papers behind the ticket counter, willing the man to rise and begin the boarding process.

"We're 40 minutes behind schedule", he snapped, "What the fuck could possibly be taking so long?"

"They're probably cleaning the plane", murmured Jay, who seemed to be only half-listening to his comrade's tirade.

He'd been mulling over Jeff's shitty situation for the past half hour now, unable to quiet the ugly and vicious thoughts in his mind. "_We've watched Jeff be slowly picked apart, over ten years, by that disgusting piece of trash"_, he thought, "_How pathetic is it that we haven't been able to help him? Everything we've tried has failed, and then Jeff has always ended up worse off than he was before. What if we fail here? Will Gangrel be fed up enough to finally kill him?"_

Jay stared at the floor blankly, rubbing at his sore forehead. No matter how he looked at it, the situation was grim.

He realized that the young Hardy was now as withdrawn and sickly as he'd been in his darkest days, when it had been common knowledge that he was a hardcore drug addict. His bright personality, charming smile, his contagious laughter, all were disappearing beneath a cloak of black despair. Soon, Jay feared, there would be nothing left of the man he'd once known.

And that thought terrified him. It stole his breath away.

Christian glanced over at his friend. He saw that Adam was watching him intently, his blue eyes sharp and fiercely aware.

Adam always seemed to know what he was thinking.

Jay stared back, his gaze haunted. "I'm worried about Jeff", he admitted in an unsteady voice, "I just…" He sighed, and shook his head in frustration. "I don't know, Adam. I think Gangrel really fucked him up the other night, and I think Jeff is scared and ready to break. I just hate watching this shit from the sidelines, and not being able to do anything about it."

Adam's gaze intensified. "That's why we're _here_, Jay. Because this really is the only way I can think of to help Jeff. We're gonna find a way in to see the Council. I'm not leaving Chicago until they've heard what we had to say."

Jay stared at his friend for a moment. Finally, he sighed, and gave a brusque nod of agreement.

Adam's gaze softened. "And you know, Jay, Jeff's gonna be just fine. We forget sometimes just how strong he actually is."

Jay gave a thin smile, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah", he said softly, "You're right."

Before Adam could reply, a thin, static-blanketed voice suddenly came through the airport's antiquated speaker system, announcing, "Flight 309 to Chicago O'Hare now boarding at Gate 54. Please have your tickets ready."

"Finally", Adam muttered darkly, shouldering his carry-on and stepping into the line of boarding passengers.

Jay sighed. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

[xxxxxxx]

"Jeff, come on!", Matt urged, pushing his brother along, "We're gonna be late! And I am _not_ gonna get reamed out by Vince cause of your slow ass, especially when _I_ was ready 45 minutes early!"

Jeff sighed, and picked up the pace. He had no desire to wrestle tonight. He wished he could crawl into a dark, quiet corner, and just sleep. But he knew that wasn't possible. There were people counting on him to maintain the status quo, to entertain the fans and be his funny, charming self. He would put on a good show as he always did, both in front of, and behind, the curtain.

When he returned to his room, he knew Gangrel would be waiting for him. His false smile would have to be especially bright tonight in order to hide the terrified anticipation he was feeling. He prayed that the sadistic vampire would be in a good mood when he saw him, and perhaps go easy-

He jumped when Matt suddenly laid on the horn of their rental car. "Jeff! Come on!"

"Christ, it's not like we're opening the show!", Jeff snapped, opening the passenger door and throwing his bag on the back seat.

Matt shot him a look.

Jeff was about to get into the car, when suddenly a dark shadow at the edges of his vision caught his attention. He quickly glanced across the street, and froze.

Gabriel, the strange man he'd met in the bar last night, was sitting on the bus stop bench, intently reading a book.

Jeff stood there, mouth agape, eyes wide, staring with anxiety at the handsome stranger.

Why could he be here? A hundred ideas ran through Jeff's head, none of them pleasant.

Jeff didn't understand how Gabriel could have even tracked him down, as knowledge of the superstars' accommodations was a closely-guarded secret, made known to WWE personnel only.

He shut his eyes tightly and turned away, trying to even out his unsteady breathing. He couldn't deal with this, not when he already had to worry about feeding a ravenous vampire later on.

He felt dizzy…

"Jeffy?", a soft, concerned voice intoned from the car, "Are you okay?"

"_Shit!_", Jeff thought, panic overtaking him as he quickly realized that Matt had been observing him.

Forcing himself to calm down, Jeff quickly relaxed his face and pasted a goofy half-smile on, ignoring his brother's too-observant stare.

"I'm fine", he replied easily, sliding into the car, "C'mon, let's get out of here." Matt didn't move. The older Hardy was watching him, his face unreadable. "C'mon, Matty!", Jeff urged again, "You were just freaking out about being late, right?"

Matt sighed and shook his head. He pulled the keys from the ignition and pocketed them.

Jeff stared. "What are you doing?", he said, "We have to go! We'll be late-"

"We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's been up with you lately", Matt replied somberly, "You act like you don't care about your job, Jeff, like you're just here because you have to be. You're late all the time, you look terrible, and you won't talk to anyone." Jeff looked away; he already knew all of this, but it was hard to hear it out loud, especially coming from his brother's mouth.

He couldn't help but wonder if Gabriel was watching them right now, those strange piercing eyes cataloguing every breath, every movement, every glower of anger or disappointment that passed between them. Jeff threw a nervous glance across the street, curious to see if they were being watched.

The young Hardy's eyes widened when he saw an empty bench. He surreptitiously glanced around the area, though it was clear of pedestrian traffic. It seemed that Gabriel had vanished into thin air.

Jeff had no time to think on the man's strange disappearance, however, as Matt was continuing his diatribe. "You wouldn't talk to me before, and I let it go because I respect your privacy, and I trust that you'd come to me if you really needed my help. But my gut's been telling me lately that something is off, and I'm not driving anywhere until I find out what it is."

Matt crossed his arms stubbornly and leveled a stern gaze at Jeff, waiting for him to talk.

"Matt, I-" Jeff sighed heavily, not sure what lie he should tell to cover this. There were so many already, all piled neatly on top of each other. It made him nervous that Matt was seeing past his carefully-constructed web of deceit, perhaps glimpsing a bit of the truth. He had to stop that now, protect his brother from ever finding out about Gangrel.

So he settled on an old standby, figuring that remaining within his comfort zone would be the best, and most believable, course of action.

"I couldn't help myself, Matty", he said after a long moment, "I just- I had to have another taste of my pills." His voice dropped in volume, quavering slightly. "And that led to… bad things happening. These last weeks have been hell." He didn't elaborate further than that. He'd let his brother's imagination fill in the blanks.

Matt's expression held no disgust, no judgment. He embraced his younger brother, assuring him that it would be alright, that this time they would get him off of the pills for good.

He thanked Jeff for being straight with him. The younger Hardy replied, "Of course. I mean, you're my brother. I trust you more than anyone else in the world."

Matt didn't deserve to be lied to, Jeff knew. Especially about this. Jeff reflected on what he had said, realizing abruptly that he had never in his life felt lower than he did right now.

[xxxxxx]

Gabriel stood on the roof of the hotel, listening to the brothers' conversation.

"Your pain does run deep, Jeffrey", he murmured, watching the car pull away, "But I promise you, it will not last."

He leaned over and drew a strange symbol in the thin layer of dirt upon the roof. Dusting his hands off, he stood, looking down at the marking.

He smirked, satisfied at its perfection.

He would not have long to wait now.

[xxxxxxx]

Adam and Jay walked down a back-alley Chicago street, surrounded by run-down businesses and once-beautiful townhouses, now condemned or converted into low-rent apartments.

From far off, they could hear the distant sounds of the bustling downtown area, car horns blaring and cargo trucks rumbling on the roads entering the city.

"It was around here somewhere", Adam muttered, closely scanning the addresses on the boarded-up buildings.

Jay shot his friend an annoyed glare. "Do you have any idea where the hell you're going?"

Adam ignored him. He was too busy studying a two-story brick structure across the street.

"That's it!", he suddenly exclaimed. He pointed at the unsightly building, which looked as if it hadn't been occupied in years.

"Are you sure?", Jay asked, looking at the structure before him incredulously, "I mean, it doesn't look like a bookstore."

Adam nodded. "Yup. That's the place. There was no sign the last time, either. I had to walk this street five times before I found it. You figure they would at least put a sign up."

As the two of them stood watching the building in question, they suddenly noticed a pale, thin figure wrapped in a heavy, black trench coat walking briskly up the other side of the street. The willowy vampire slipped by with the uncanny grace of a ballet dancer, silent and effortless, as if he were floating an inch off of the ground. When he came upon the door to the bookstore he looked around to see if he'd been followed, his cold, cat-like eyes taking note of Adam and Jay, then quickly dismissing them as unworthy of his attention. Once satisfied that he was alone, the vampire quickly and stealthily slipped inside the building.

Adam and Jay stared at each other.

"Was that-?", asked Jay, his eyes wide.

"Yeah", replied Adam quietly, "That was a vampire. No fucking doubt about it."

"Well", quipped Jay, smiling nervously, "At least we've come to the right place."

[xxxxxxx]

Jeff exited the elevator, walking slowly, like a condemned man heading towards the gallows. The floor was eerily silent as he began the journey towards his room. The only sounds were his dull footsteps on the heavy carpet, and the constant whirr of the industrial heating system. He made a right and suddenly, there was a tiny blast of cool air twining its way up his spine, caressing it with nimble fingers.

"_Jeffrey…."_, a familiar voice whispered from the darkness.Letting out a ragged gasp, Jeff immediately came to a stop, staring all around.

The hallway was empty, and silent. All of the doors were closed and locked, as they should be at this hour. There was nothing.

He was, in this moment, thankful that he'd managed to rid himself of Matt earlier in the evening. All night, his brother had been bothering him to hang out after the show, undoubtedly for the purpose of being able to glean more information about this "pill addiction" and, if necessary, to give him a shoulder to cry on.

Jeff had gently turned him away. He didn't need a sympathetic shoulder right now. What he did need was to get this night over with, so he could finally get some sleep.

Matt had reluctantly left him alone, forcing a promise from him that they would talk later.

Talk. Jeff dreaded the thought of it. He hated the possibility that one of his well-placed lies might be discovered, that he might slip up, revealing his fragile and delicate façade. He wanted to be able to have a normal conversation with his brother, instead of having to carefully edit every word that passed his lips, and every emotion that crossed his face. He was disgusted with the constant, unending deception.

He was sick of it.

Jeff stopped, and leaned against the hotel wall, closing his eyes tightly. He breathed deeply, erratically, trying to calm himself. An errant tear escaped Jeff's closed eye and rolled languidly down his cheek as he thought about how desperate he was not to lose Matt. His brother, though a bit clueless and self-absorbed, was pure in his heart; it warmed Jeff's tainted soul to stand near his brother and bask in the warmth of his innocence, unsoiled by the darkness that had so completely engulfed Jeff.

The young Hardy thought about the way it had been before, when he and Matt could actually look each other in the eye when they spoke. They'd always fought, but, at the same time, they'd always had an unquestioning trust for each other. Lies had always been unnecessary between the two of them.

Gangrel had seen fit to take that sacred trust away, along with everything else Jeff held dear in his life.

He wanted that life _back_. He'd lost hope a long time ago that that would ever happen, however.

Jeff slowly made his way down the long, seemingly endless hotel hallway, his fear-filled eyes fixed upon Room 313. Gangrel would be waiting for him in there, he knew, with that arrogant, shit-eating grin upon his pale face.

Jeff wished he could run, but he'd learned his lessons the hard way. Gangrel had a low tolerance for disobedience, which he knew would eventually get him killed should he continue to test the sadistic vampire's cruel disposition.

The young Hardy came closer to his room. Suddenly, his breath hitched. He felt darkness there. The air, which had been pleasantly comfortable not a moment before, was now far too cold.

"_I grow impatient, Jeffrey…_"

The young Hardy tensed.

He reached into his pocket and began fumbling around for his key card. Producing it after a moment, he stood back and watched the door with trepidation, as if it were a live thing about to swallow him whole. Looking down at the key card, then back at the door, Jeff tried to force himself onward. Gangrel would be furious if he didn't go in immediately; the vampire obviously knew that he'd arrived. And yet, he found himself utterly unwilling to take the final steps towards entering the room.

Suddenly, the portal swung open, hard enough to hit the wall with force and bounce back. Jeff gasped and jumped back, startled. He found himself looking up into Gangrel's eyes.

Cold, cruel, furious eyes.

Jeff knew, in that moment, that the vampire would not be merciful this night.

"Hello, Jeffrey", the vampire said, stepping aside and gesturing for him to enter, "Please, come in."

He thought the pleasantries seemed rather sordid, given the situation at hand.

Submissively dropping his gaze, the young Hardy entered the room, standing near the door and waiting for further instruction. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Oh, Gangrel, you did not exaggerate in the slightest", a deep, sensuous voice spoke from the furthest end of the room, "He is _exceedingly_ beautiful. And you appear to have trained him well."

Jeff looked up, his eyes wide and frightened. Another vampire sat in the corner of the room, watching him with a hungry, lustful gaze. Shoulder-length black hair, thick and heavy, crowned a handsome face and dark, hypnotic eyes.

"Yes, Thorn", replied Gangrel coldly, "I have invested much time, and energy, into this particular slave. _Years_, spent bending him to my will. I'm sure you understand, therefore, why I do not relish the thought of sharing him-"

"But you _will_", replied the other vampire, raising a perfect eyebrow, "As per our arrangement." He leaned back in the recliner, one muscular leg thrown over a cushioned arm, surveying the room with all the arrogance and confidence of a king upon his throne. "I've told you, Gangrel, it grows ever riskier for me to defend you to the Council. Trying to subtly sway them from investigating your disappearance has not been an easy task. They stare at me with angry suspicion every time I dare to speak out against 'wasting our precious resources' on tracking down long-disappeared criminals. You are a _missing exile,_ after all. The elders take these matters very seriously." He stared at Gangrel, his dark eyes blazing with anger. "Were we not so encumbered with other affairs at the moment, some of the less… reasonable members might even begin looking into _my_ past indiscretions. I am the only one who defends you, after all. I _will_ have added compensation for that additional risk. Therefore, your beautiful slave shall serve _me_ tonight." The vampire, Thorn, looked at Jeff and smiled unsettlingly. The young Hardy averted his eyes, disturbed at the stranger's hungry stare. Thorn returned his gaze to Gangrel, who was silently fuming. "Or would you prefer that I return to the Council with a _different_ story than the one upon which we had agreed?"

Gangrel gnashed his teeth in obvious frustration. "Very well", he ground out, "We shall share him… for _tonight_."

The other vampire smiled, and gave a small nod.

Jeff felt panic begin to overtake him as he looked from one vampire to the other. Thorn was smiling, Gangrel scowling.

He had no time to think further on his dire situation, however. Thorn had risen from his chair and was now walking purposely towards him, a cold smirk upon his lips.

Jeff watched him moving closer, taking in his fierce eyes and white skin, and the corded muscles rippling beneath his tight cotton shirt. He cut an intimidating figure. The young Hardy tried to hide his mounting fear, tried to keep his breathing steady and his thoughts grounded. If he began to panic, if he began to sweat or shake, the vampires would see it. They would smell it. And that would only encourage them to strike.

Jeff forced himself to keep his gaze locked firmly on the ground. He stood stock-still as the vampire circled him, taking him in. Every muscle in his body slowly tensed as he began to ready himself for the pain he knew was coming. He stood there, frustration mounting, wishing desperately that they would dispense with the coy looks and whispered threats, and simply do what they had come here to do.

Jeff started slightly when he suddenly felt the vampire laying a cold hand on his shoulder. He was pulled backwards into Thorn's broad chest. The vampire leaned down, and quietly uttered a firm command into his ear. "Get on your knees, Jeffrey." His voice was a husky whisper.

Jeff immediately obeyed. He realized suddenly that he felt strange going through this hateful ritual with another vampire. Gangrel had done so many things to him over the years, abused him in countless ways, but he had never brought another vampire in to share the spoils.

Thorn leaned down and took hold of the young Hardy's face, slowly and methodically caressing each feature. Studying him with cold, penetrating eyes, the vampire grabbed Jeff under his chin, pulling his face upwards. The young Hardy forced himself to remain completely still beneath the scrutiny, though his first instinct was to slap the invasive hands away. This strange vampire repulsed him even more than Gangrel, somehow. Jeff realized, upon reflection, that it was his gaze, a strange combination of lust and fierce hatred. A disturbing combination.

Jeff shuddered as Thorn casually petted his hair, like one would a prized dog.

"Lovely", Thorn murmured appreciatively, touching Jeff's cheek, his lips, his eyebrows.

He straightened and moved to the bed, where a small, unassuming black suitcase was lying. As he began to open it, he called over his shoulder, "Jeffrey, I see no reason for you to be wearing your clothes any longer. Take them off."

Jeff tried to steady his breathing. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see what Thorn was taking out of that suitcase. He removed his jacket, his shirt, his shoes; with every garment that came off, it felt like his last scraps of protection were being stolen away, piece by piece.

Finally, he was laid bare. He knelt, naked and waiting, and terrified.

"I'm starting to get bored over here, Thorn", Gangrel said testily, "What do you have planned?" He walked over to the bed and stared hard at the dark-haired vampire, who was busy rummaging through his suitcase.

Thorn turned, a dark smirk on his handsome face. His eyes were riveted upon Jeff's quivering form.

"You know, patience is a virtue, my friend", he said, amusement lacing his rich voice, "I'm just bringing a bit of added… _interest_ to our session."

Jeff glanced up. He saw that the dark-haired vampire was cradling an armful of black straps with huge metal buckles on the ends.

"_Oh, Christ…_" Jeff stared, his eyes wide, his stomach in knots.

Thorn dropped the straps into a tangled pile on the floor. Kneeling next to Jeff, he gestured Gangrel over. "Come", he urged, "Since Jeffrey is your slave, you should choose where the first strap goes."

Gangrel scowled. "I do not want him marked up, Thorn. He has exceedingly fair skin-"

"His skin will be pure as porcelain come morning, Gangrel", replied Thorn, kneeling and beginning to ready the straps, "Now, come. Choose."

Jeff was really freaking out now. Being in the power of a vampire was one thing, but being tied up and helpless, completely unable to fight back, that was another.

Gangrel knelt on the opposite side of Thorn. He stared down at Jeff, who was sweating and breathing heavily, lost in the depth of his fear.

"His wrists", he murmured, "Start there."

Thorn smirked. "An excellent choice."

He pulled Jeff's arms behind his back, and crossed his wrists over each other. Thorn then began to wrap a medium-sized strap around them, pulling the buckle in tighter, and tighter, only securing it when he finally heard the boy whimper softly in pain.

Jeff stared at the floor with wide, wild eyes, tears streaming down his pale cheeks. The dark-haired vampire pulled his face up by the chin.

"Now, it's my turn", he said, mirth soaking his tone.

Thorn took a long, thick strap and wrapped it around Jeff's back and upper arms, securing it tightly enough across his chest that the worn leather creaked beneath the strain. Jeff tried to move around, but was dismayed to find that his arms were completely immobile in the excruciatingly tight bindings.

The young Hardy tried to think about anything other than his current dilemma as the vampires circled him like demented vultures, staring at his vulnerability with their frightening, unnatural eyes. He was on the verge of dropping his submissive façade in favor of open and shameless begging, though he knew it would be utterly foolish to do so. The vampires would only use it as an excuse to increase his pain later. So, instead, he just continued to stare at the floor, and drip tears out of his deadened, bloodshot green eyes.

Thorn caressed Jeff's cheek with a feather-light touch, stroking him with an absentminded familiarity, as if he owned him. It took all of Jeff's power not to turn his head away from the vampire's unwanted caress.

The dark-haired vampire looked down at his cowering prisoner, a leer upon his rugged features. Jeff nearly screamed aloud when he heard the strange vampire's voice in his head, buzzing incessantly like a distant swarm of angry bees. "_You are very beautiful, Jeffrey. Truly, a rose grown tall in a field of thorns._" He paused, watching Jeff stare at the ground with barely-contained fear. He smiled, and ran his thumb across Jeff's lower lip. The young Hardy instinctively pulled back from Thorn's touch, hatred flashing across his face for an instant. Jeff immediately rebuked himself, sure that he would be sorely punished for his insolence. He was, however, disturbed to find Thorn grinning amusedly at his indiscretion.

"_There is a fire burning behind those green eyes. You have some pride left; Gangrel hasn't managed to take it all away, pathetic fool that he is._" Thorn smiled, his elongated eye-teeth pricking at his full lower lip. "_I will enjoy breaking you tonight, Jeffrey. I will enjoy dissecting the scraps that Gangrel has left, and devouring them, one by one, until there is nothing left of you." _His mental voice became a whisper as it began to fade away, "_I enjoy breaking beautiful things-" _

Silence. Jeff stared at the floor, panting, his eyes wide.

Dimly, he saw Thorn rise and move out of his immediate line of sight.

"Well, Thorn?", asked Gangrel, "Shall I stand in the corner until you are ready to continue? Or would it be alright for me to touch my own slave, do you think?" The blonde vampire sounded extremely irritated.

Ignoring the question completely, Thorn replied, "Stroke him, Gangrel. Make him hard." Jeff's head shot up, just in time to see the dark-haired vampire shoot his compatriot a meaningful glance.

Thorn had been searching through the suitcase, which was lying open on the bed. Jeff saw him reach in and pull something out, though his view was blocked by the vampire's back. The young Hardy strained his neck a bit, trying to see what Thorn was holding in his hands. If he just knew what was coming, it would make it easier to bear…

He quickly came to realize, however, that he had more immediate concerns.

He suddenly felt Gangrel wrapping his frigid body around his own. Jeff arched up, gasping, as he felt the vampire's shirtless upper body making contact with his own naked back. He was disgusted to feel the vampire's sizable tent brushing up against his bound wrists. Jeff made a noise of protest when Gangrel's ice-cold hand reached around and surrounded his limp cock, roughly yanking, tugging, and doing whatever could be done to get the uncooperative member to harden.

"Stop!", the young Hardy choked, trying to buck forward in an effort to pull out of the vampire's tight grasp.

In the end, however, there was never any point to fighting back against Gangrel's superior strength.

Gangrel pumped Jeff's cock, hard and fast, the tender skin around the shaft turning an angry red from the vampire's overzealous handjob. Though the young Hardy tried to fight it, his dick eventually hardened to a painful, leaking erection.

"Good boy", Gangrel cooed in his ear, gently rubbing the shaft and playing with Jeff's engorged balls, "That's my lovely boy."

Jeff shuddered when the vampire's cold tongue began dancing along his earlobe, licking every inch of the skin as if it were a delectable treat.

"Excellent", interrupted Thorn, who stepped in front of the pair and eyed Jeff's weeping cock with approval, "Gangrel, please spread his legs further apart." Jeff noted with apprehension that the dark-haired vampire was concealing something small in his fist.

"His legs belong to _me_, Thorn. I shall spread them when I am ready", replied Gangrel evenly. He glared at the other vampire over the creamy shoulder of his bound slave.

Thorn held a hand up for silence. "There is no need to argue, Gangrel. As we already established, this is my night with Jeffrey. You may participate, but it will be by _my_ rules."

"Fine", the blonde vampire ground out, "Let's get it over with, then. I grow weary of you."

Thorn smiled, his eyes upon his prey. "Here, put this on him. I don't think I need to explain where it goes."

He threw a metal cock-ring to Gangrel. The blonde vampire studied it for a moment, before looking back to his compatriot with a raised eyebrow. Thorn returned his look with a dry smile, before gesturing the other vampire onwards.

Gangrel sighed, and slid the cock-ring open. He walked around to face Jeff, who was still on his knees, his hands bound behind him. He looked perfect, bound and shaking, his beautiful eyes wide with fear.

Slowly, almost reverently, he pushed his slave's pale thighs apart. He pumped the softening cock several times to bring it back to life, dragging a tiny, choked whimper from Jeff's throat. Gangrel smirked, slipping the metal ring onto the base of Jeff's dick and tightly securing it. The young Hardy groaned in combined pain and pleasure, as all feeling in his body seemed to be transferred to that one spot.

Thorn silently moved in behind Jeff, kneeling and pushing his hard-on into the young slave's bound wrists. Jeff tried to move away, but immediately regretted it when his hair was grabbed, and his head pulled violently backwards. He cried out in pain, instinctively struggling against the vampire's tight grip.

"Be still", Thorn commanded. His tone brooked no argument.

Jeff stopped fighting. Exhausted and terrified, he went limp in the grip of the dark-haired vampire.

"Now then, Jeffrey", Thorn said, speaking softly into the young Hardy's ear, "I believe it is time for us to become better acquainted with one another." He reached over and gently ran a finger down the length of Jeff's red, throbbing cock, bringing a sharp intake of breath. "You will do everything I say, without question, and without delay. If you disobey, you will be punished. Do you understand?"

Jeff bowed his head, hating himself, hating every second of this. "Yes", he whispered hoarsely.

"Very good", replied the vampire, arrogance lacing his tone. He gave one of Jeff's ass cheeks a hard squeeze, either to show the young Hardy that his obeisance had pleased him, or to not-so-subtly remind Jeff that he was in charge.

"Lie on the floor, stomach down."

Jeff did so, quickly and silently, trying not to think about what the vampire's intentions could be. He lay there on his stomach, his thoughts in turmoil, desperately attempting to quell the choking anger that arose each time he was ordered about like a piece of well-used property.

"What are you doing?", he heard Gangrel ask. He sounded pissed, and impatient. Were _he_ running the show, Jeff knew, he'd have a set of fangs in his neck right now, and a dick ripping his ass apart. Gangrel certainly loved to play his games, but in the end, he was there to drink blood, and fuck. Simple, and to the point.

Not like Thorn. Thorn obviously liked to toy with his prey, like a cat batting a mouse back and forth in its claws.

"I'm completing the picture", replied Thorn distractedly. He was rummaging again. That couldn't be good.

Jeff tensed when he heard the vampires kneel down on either side him.

"Spread your legs, Jeffrey", Thorn ordered.

Jeff winced, his painfully hard cock aching beneath him, the soft skin of his face chafing as it rubbed against the cheap hotel carpet. He shifted his position, spreading his legs open as wide as they would go.

He closed his eyes tightly when Thorn began gently brushing sweaty strands of dyed hair out of his pale face.

"You were very obedient, Jeffrey", the vampire said softly, a tiny smile twisting his full lips, "Good boy." Thorn looked over to Gangrel, who stared back at the other with a wary eye. "He should be rewarded, you know."

"What the hell are you talking about-?", asked Gangrel, his patience nearly gone.

Thorn pulled a metal buttplug out from his suitcase, a smug smile set firmly upon his face.

"This will stretch his tight little asshole for us", the dark-haired vampire said. Casually, he pushed a finger into Jeff's exposed ass and lightly caressed the pucker, bringing a soft whimper from the bound Hardy. "Better the buttplug, I suppose, than one of our cocks, thrusting into him with no lube." He knelt down and placed the plug on the floor in front of Jeff's face. "You like your reward, don't you, Jeffrey?"

Jeff glanced up, then looked at the metal object before his eyes. "Yes", he whispered hoarsely.

Thorn grinned. He picked the buttplug up off of the ground went over to the suitcase, where he had a small, half-empty tube of lubrication. He covered the metal plug liberally, then returned to Jeff, ready to insert it.

He gave Jeff no time to shift, or twitch, or move away. Grabbing hold of the young Hardy's slim waist, Thorn began pushing the buttplug into Jeff's tight pucker, his progress slow, but steady. Finally, only the very top of the shiny metal plug protruded from Jeff's asshole.

The young Hardy found himself afraid to move for fear of hitting his prostrate, or causing himself pain. So he just laid there, still and silent, and waited for the vampires to fall upon him like ravenous dogs.

Gangrel stood over Jeffrey, watching Thorn inserting the buttplug, watching him biting his lip in an effort to stifle his scream of pain. The young Hardy was truly beautiful like this, lying on his stomach, his arms bound at his sides, his wrists bound behind his back, his gorgeous ass exposed and stuffed to the brim with a too-large sex toy. He was sweating, breathing erratically. Gangrel could _smell_ his fear, permeating every inch of the room. It was making him wild with hunger, with lust, with the desire to taste him and drink him dry.

"So, Gangrel, what do you think?", Thorn asked suddenly, looking down at the bound slave with horny appreciation.

Gangrel smiled sourly at the other vampire. "I must say, Thorn", he said, "you've rather outdone yourself."

The dark-haired vampire bent over and sniffed at Jeff's neck, causing him to whimper in fear. "He smells delectable", he said, staring at the young Hardy's long, pale neck. The pupils of his dark eyes began slowly narrowing into thin slits as he gazed at the captive human on the floor.

He turned his attention to Gangrel, who was openly glaring at him. "Out of respect for you, his master", Thorn said, his voice a throaty growl, "I ask first, before taking." He glanced down at Jeff, licking his lips in anticipation. "I want to taste him."

Gangrel stared for a moment, an expression of disbelief quickly morphing into one of anger. He knew he had no choice in this either way, so he was surprised that Thorn had even bothered to ask him for permission. He hated to have to be the one to give permission, however; it galled him to no end.

"By all means, Thorn", Gangrel said, his tone contemptuous, "do what it is you mean to do. I shall not stop you."

Thorn smirked and, in the blink of an eye, was on top of Jeff, his fangs sunk completely into the young Hardy's neck. He drew blood with an angry fervor, never getting enough of the precious liquid. Distantly, through the pleasure haze of his gluttonous feeding, Thorn thought he heard Jeff screaming in pain.

It did not give him pause.

As Jeff began to pass out from the rapid blood loss, he found himself lost amidst the dizzying agony of the vampire's bite. In all the torturous nights acting as Gangrel's personal buffet, he had never experienced such horrific, soul-deep pain. He was going to die this time. He knew it.

Pain ripped down Jeff's throat, suddenly, as he dazedly felt fangs tearing out of muscle and flesh. He let out a strangled cry, collapsing limply into unconsciousness.

The last thing he felt before he passed out were dry, cold hands upon his chest and arms, grabbing him roughly, pulling him up…

[xxxxxxx]

Adam and Jay stood watching the bookstore for over an hour, waiting for the sun to sink completely behind the horizon. As they stood there, desperately trying to appear casual, they saw two more vampires separately approaching the shop, minutes apart from each other. Both were glancing nervously over their shoulders, as if to ensure they were alone.

Once the vampires had disappeared inside, Jay remarked, "They all seem nervous. As if they're trying to avoid being found."

Adam appeared thoughtful. "They probably just don't want their hideout to be exposed. I mean, think about it. There can't be a lot of places like this left for their kind. With cell phone cameras and the internet, the vampires could be exposed to the world in a flat second if they're not smart about guarding their meeting places, and powers. Therefore, I'm sure they've gotten very good at keeping themselves below the radar. It's why we need to get help in finding their Council, much as I hate dealing with any of them, ever."

"Should we take some pictures while we're in there?", Jay asked, only half-joking. He paused, before changing the subject. "You know, we should probably go", he said, trying to hide the reluctance in his voice, "It's dark enough now."

"Alright", Adam said, pushing off from the wall he was leaning against, "Let's get this over with."

Jay looked over at his friend. "Are you sure this is gonna work, Adam?", he asked, "I mean, it sounded like a good plan before, I guess, but now, seeing them right in front of us- Fuck man, I just feel like we're walking into a god damn death trap."

"I have no idea if this is gonna work, Jay", Adam said, staring intensely at the bookstore, "But we have to do this. There's no other way to help Jeff. And god knows, he's suffered enough. It's time to end it."

Jay sighed, and began crossing the street. "Let's go, then. If I'm gonna die tonight, I don't want to draw it out."

Adam nodded in agreement.

They came to the door. Adam sighed, and slowly wrapped his hand around the doorknob, readying himself to enter.

"What are you doing?", an angry voice hissed in his ear, causing him to yelp and jump back from the building.

Adam, panting, stared wide-eyed at a newly-arrived vampire. It was a tall, lithe woman, with finely-etched features, spiky-short blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes. Where the fuck had she come from? The street had been empty not two seconds before.

"I- I was just-", he stammered, "I needed to- um…"

He couldn't think. Her fierce blue eyes stared into his own, gripping his mind like a drug, muddling his every thought. He tried to talk, to explain their presence there, but his mouth refused to form words. A short grunt, something between an exhalation and a whimper, escaped his lips as his jaw worked in a futile effort to speak.

"I don't know what you've done to my friend, but _I_ can tell you why we're here", Jay interjected suddenly, his voice strangely calm, "That is, if you still want to know."

The vampire turned her attention to Jay. "Speak", she said, her tone dangerous, "And make it quick. I have little time this night to coddle fools who have wandered onto the wrong doorstep."

Jay stared hard at the female vampire. "No, this is the right place. We're here to have a conversation with some vampires."

Her eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. "So, human, you know of our kind. And you come to our place of meeting, unarmed and unprotected? You are foolish indeed."

"Just bring us in there, and let us say what we came to say", Jay replied, "It'll just take a few minutes of your time, and I guarantee you'll find the meeting to be informative and of great benefit to you."

She stared at the blonde wrestler, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I don't trust you."

Jay glared. "As you said, we're unarmed and unprotected. We're two lone humans. Even if we did have an interest in causing harm to your kind, how could we possibly do so? I'm telling you, you have nothing to lose here. Let us in, and allow us to have our say."

She considered for a moment, before releasing a sharp huff. "Very well." She moved past Adam and Jay, pushing through the heavy wooden door. "Follow me closely, humans!", she called over her shoulder as she moved into the bookstore's dimly-lit front room.

Jay grabbed Adam's arm, as he was obviously still shaky from the vampire's earlier influence over him.

As they walked through the door, he whispered, "Are you alright? You don't look so hot."

Adam nodded. "I'll be fine. I just have a headache."

The room inside the door, purportedly the "bookstore", actually looked like nothing more than a storage unit for unwanted books, art, toys, chatchkes, and other randomly assorted odds and ends. Nothing was sorted into any type of order, unless you counted the gigantic piles of stuff that was strewn across the floor. In short, the place was a disastrous mess, and it didn't look as if anyone would be cleaning it anytime soon. There was a small path, Adam and Jay saw, that had been cleared through the mountains of garbage on the floor. They carefully wended their way through, following their vampire guide towards the rickety wooden stairs at the back of the room.

"Stay down here", said the vampire, once they reached the stairs, "I must speak with the others for a moment."

She disappeared into the darkness of the stairwell.

Adam and Jay looked at each other.

"She's gonna see what the others think about us coming up", Jay said softly.

Adam nodded, rubbing at his forehead. "Yeah. And if they decide against it…"

"Come, humans", the cold voice of the female vampire startled Adam and Jay. She stood in the stairwell, looking fierce, and grim.

There was no running now. They had no choice but to finish this, whatever the conclusion might be.

They walked up the dark, creaking stairs, feeling the give of the old wood beneath their feet. It was not a long climb; the building was not a tall one. At the top of the stairs, there was a wooden door immediately to the left. The two blondes stood in the hallway outside of the door, waiting. Finally, she pulled the portal open, revealing a room that seemed, upon first glance, to be crawling with the undead.

Vampires lounged on a brown couch with the stuffing pouring out the side, on dirty recliners that looked as if they'd been pulled from the dump, on the floor, even on tables. Some were making out, a few were drinking each other's blood, and one overly-excited couple in the back corner was loudly fucking.

Adam and Jay both nearly retched when they saw three dead bodies, in various states of decomposition, lying on top of each other in the corner like garbage. The sight drove home their own situation; how the hell would they ever walk out of here alive?

The female vampire looked around, her eyes falling upon each vampire scattered about the room in turn. They stopped whatever they were doing, Adam and Jay saw, and paid her their full attention.

"Telepathy", Jay murmured to Adam, who nodded in agreement.

The room had fallen silent, and at least thirty pairs of vampire eyes were locked upon Adam and Jay.

"As you can see, everyone", the female vampire began, "we have guests this evening."

Adam and Jay both swallowed nervously as a few vampires began circling the two of them, one or two being bold enough to sniff at their skin and hair.

"They are not for eating", said the female, "At least, not yet. They have some information for us. Something valuable to tell us, I believe?" She looked to the two of them.

Adam coughed. "Um, yeah. Yeah, we do." He stepped away from the vampire who was running spindly fingers through his tangled blonde hair. "Are any of you aware of the vampire Gangrel? I believe your Council sent him into exile several years ago for violating their laws on keeping non-consensual human slaves-"

A great murmur arose.

"And what could a pretty little human know of Gangrel?", an angry voice arose from the gathered crowd, "What could a _human_ possibly know of our ways? Nothing! This is a waste of our time-"

"First of all", Jay stepped forward, anger painted upon his chiseled features, "We know a great _deal_ about Gangrel. We were his slaves."

He ignored the buzzing conversation that arose at this revelation, and continued talking.

"Secondly, we don't claim to know shit about your ways. Don't want to. But we do know that the vampire council, and the community at large, wants Gangrel gone. And he's managed to evade you guys for years, hiding in plain sight. Well, we have good news for you, boys and girls; we know exactly where the piece of shit is, and we'll tell you, provided you promise to send word to the Council and get that motherfucker out of our lives, _permanently_."

"You want petty revenge because of the things he did to you while you were slaves? It hardly seems worth our effort or time", one of the vampires said, smirking, watching the blondes with naked desire.

"He's enslaved a friend of ours", replied Adam, glaring, "That's why we're here. We want that sick fuck out of our lives, for good. We don't have the power to do a god damn thing on our own, and we can't reach the Council without the help of a vampire. I'm sure the Council would reward you for stepping up and assisting in Gangrel's capture!" He looked around, taking in the sea of pale faces, some darkly amused, some furious. None looked sympathetic to what they had said so far.

The female vampire stepped forward. "A good plan. On the surface, it seems well thought-out. But there was one thing you did not take into account when you decided to come here."

"What?", Jay asked, dreading the answer.

She smiled, a cruel smirk. "We here are all exiles, hiding from Council justice. Just like your hated enemy, Gangrel."

Adam and Jay stared around the room, eyes wide. The vampires looked angry. Worse, they looked hungry.

"So sorry, gentlemen", the female said, "But we will not be able to strike a deal today." She looked towards the others in the room, who were watching expectantly. "Dinner is served."

The other vampires began to surround the two blondes, a sea of unnatural eyes and sharp fangs, and white skin.

"I'm sorry", Adam whispered to Jay, his voice shaking, "I'm so sorry I brought us here-"

Suddenly, he felt a strong arm going around his chest, moving in a blur of motion. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pale hand, and red hair.

There was screaming, yelling, coming from the crowd of vampires. The sound of rage.

And then, he felt himself lifting up, and… flying?

There was broken glass, and sudden, abrupt silence, and the cool refreshing night air surrounding him. He breathed it in.

Adam looked back, at the bookstore with its broken-out upper story window, growing smaller and smaller. He saw Jay, also in the embrace of this strange red-headed savior, looking just as confused as he was.

"Honestly", A familiar voice, one that he thought he'd never hear again, "Your reason for being in there had better have been a good one, boys."

Adam looked into the face of the speaker, a gentle face. A welcome face.

"Antrim?", he breathed, his eyes going wide.

[xxxxxxx]

Jeff felt consciousness returning to him, crashing in like a tumultuous wave. Where previously there had only been sweet, unconscious oblivion, there was now pain, radiating from his ass, his arms, and, especially, his neck. He released a heavy groan, trying to roll to his side in an effort to get more comfortable. Immediately, he regretted it. A dull pain stabbed at his insides every time he tried to contract his abdominal muscles. It took him a moment to realize that the butt-plug was still wedged firmly inside of his asshole.

His eyes shot open with a pained gasp.

"Welcome back, Jeffrey", Thorn said. He was kneeling down, regarding the young Hardy with cold, contemptuous eyes. "You passed out, rather quickly. I suppose I drank too much of your sweet blood." He gently pushed a hand through Jeff's sweaty, disheveled mess of hair.

Jeff glanced over the dark vampire's shoulder at Gangrel. The blonde vampire was watching the two of them, a look of black anger upon his face. Jeff knew that he would spend tomorrow night on his knees, making up for Thorn's transgressions, begging for forgiveness, assuring Gangrel that he was his only master.

"Kneel, Jeffrey", Thorn ordered suddenly, his voice sharp, like a human master ordering their disobedient dog to heel. Jeff obeyed immediately, his gaze locked subserviently upon the floor.

"Put your face to the floor", the dark-haired vampire whispered silkily into Jeff's ear.

Jeff, kneeling, placed his face to the floor. His ass, butt plug and all, was exposed to the vampires as he readied himself to be fucked, hard. Would it be one cock tonight, or two? Did he intend to bring out more things from his black suitcase? What could Thorn possibly have in mind?

He heard Gangrel's near-silent, shuffling footsteps moving towards him, closer. Perhaps enticed by the sight of his bound and naked slave, laid out before him.

Thorn's freezing hand softly caressed the globe of his ass, moving in gentle circles. He dipped his finger in and out of Jeff's crack, gently and repeatedly, trying to elicit a response from the exhausted slave.

Gangrel knelt down, his eyes on Jeff's pale, tautly-bound body.

Suddenly, everyone froze as there was a sound at the door. A light knocking, followed by a softly-spoken, "Jeff! Hey, man, I wanted to talk. The front desk didn't mind giving me a key, so I'm gonna come in, okay?"

Jeff didn't breathe as he listened to the sound of his brother running his key card through the door's locking mechanism. "_Please don't come in here please don't come in here please don't come in here_…"

Not moving, barely breathing, Jeff kept his eyes on the carpet, listening hard for his brother. Somewhere near the vampires were having a rapid, panicked conversation in a foreign language.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Simultaneously, all the lights in the room went out.

"Jeff?", called Matt, who was hovering in the doorway, trying to find a light switch. "Hey, Jeff, you in here?" He fumbled around on the walls, wondering why his brother wasn't answering him. "Jeff- Ah, here-" Matt turned the light on, and froze.

His brother was naked in the center of the floor, kneeling, with his ass up in the air. His arms were bound tightly to his sides, his wrists bound behind him. And there was something sticking out of his… ass?

"_Jesus"_, thought Matt, staring, his mouth agape, "_What the hell have I just walked in on?_"

**Uh-oh, Matt caught Gangrel and Thorn, red-handed! How's he going to react to this? And hey, everybody, Antrim's alive! You can't keep a good ginger down, that's my motto. And what ever happened to Gabriel? He hasn't had a lot of face-time yet, but he's gonna be a big part of the story as it develops, so I apologize in advance if you hate my OCs. Just tune them out. :)**

**BreakingFable loves REVIEWS! That is all. ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, folks, it would seem that I left you with a cliffhanger and a lengthy wait. I'm a jerk. I apologize. Feel free to throw rotten eggs and beer bottles, if it'll appease your anger. :)**

**WWE owns all, except for Jeff Hardy who is the property of TNA. **

**But Matt Hardy, Gangrel and Kevin Thorn, well, they're their own men, as far as I know. **

**Thanks to all who reviewed, favorited, or alerted! You complete me. :) **

Matt stood in the doorway, frozen, his breath caught in his throat.

The older Hardy's wide-eyed gaze was fixed upon the pale, bound figure of his younger brother, who was lying in an unmoving heap, face-down on the floor.

He couldn't move. He couldn't think clearly. All he could do was stare dumbly, mouth agape in dubious, horrified shock.

He'd come here in the hopes that he could reconnect with his estranged sibling, knowing that Jeff could probably use a non-judgmental shoulder to cry on right about now. He'd been hopeful that his brother would find the support encouraging, a stepping stone to use on his road to recovery.

Instead, he'd found… _this_. Now, staring at the too-still form lying prone before him, Matt felt as if he'd wandered into a nightmare.

Finally forcing himself to move, to act, he took one lethargic step into the room, letting the heavy door whoosh shut at his back. His eyes never strayed from Jeff's motionless body. He was just _lying_ there, seemingly unaware of his brother's presence, his eyes closed, his pallor deathly white.

As Matt grew closer, he saw blood, pooling on the carpet from a tiny rivulet near his shoulder. And more, running down the back of his pale leg…

The sight jolted the older Hardy back to sharp awareness, pulling him forcefully out of the traumatized stupor he'd been immersed in.

Realizing his brother would probably need medical attention, Matt quickly approached the seemingly unconscious Jeff with breathless anxiety. He dropped to his knees by Jeff's side, his eyes immediately falling upon two small, bleeding wounds on his neck, like deep needle-marks, or some type of animal bite. Face tight with anger and confusion, Matt ran his gaze over the cruel straps that were holding his brother's arms taut behind his back.

What kind of a sick fuck would've done this?

"Jeffy?", he prompted softly, his voice unsteady. There was no response. The younger Hardy continued to kneel with his face to the floor, lewdly posed, deathly still and utterly silent.

Matt swallowed hard, turning his head to the side, firmly averting his gaze from Jeff's openly-exposed nudity.

"Jeffy", Matt repeated softly, pushing tangled hair out of his brother's face. He heard a sharp intake of breath, saw muscles tensing.

"Jeffy?", Matt said anxiously, desperately needing to hear a response, some acknowledgment that he was okay, "Please, Jeff, answer me-"

A soft sob was his only reply.

"It's gonna be okay", Matt said, using his most soothing voice, "It'll be alright." He gently ran fingers through his brother's long, tousled mane, in an effort to calm him. "Listen, I'm gonna get you untied, okay?"

Jeff tensed up immediately upon hearing this, shaking his head desperately. "No", he whispered, his voice raw with terror and distress, "Please don't. They'll see, Matty!" His green eyes were clouded with desperate fear. Matt stared dumbly, not understanding who Jeff could be referring to, and certainly not comprehending why he'd ever wish to remain trussed like an animal on the floor. Nothing about this was making any sense. "It'll be much worse if you let me go", Jeff whispered, continuing his quiet pleading, "You should just leave. I'll be fine, I promise. Just go."

Jeff knew that Matt would never leave him here like this. He also knew that he was going to have to find a very good explanation for all of this later, one that would satisfy Matt's curiosity. Right now, however, he couldn't have cared less. Right now, he just wanted to finish fulfilling his duty as a slave and a fuck-toy for the night, so he could finally get some sleep.

Matt watched his brother closely, his gaze darkening. Lowering his voice, he said softly, "Jeffy, what do you mean, they'll see? Is the person who did this to you still here?" He shot a dark glance over to the closed closet door, another to the darkened bathroom.

Jeff shrugged noncommittally, shutting his eyes tiredly.

Matt returned his attentions to Jeff. He regarded his brother, his gaze shimmering with unspoken concern. He couldn't stand seeing Jeff like this. It broke his heart.

"I'm untying you, Jeff", Matt repeated in a gentle but firm tone, "You don't have to worry about anything anymore. I'm gonna take care of you."

Ignoring a few feeble, softly-spoken protests, Matt undid the straps around his brother's wrists, followed by the heavy restraints on his upper arms. Once he'd been freed, Jeff hesitated for just a moment before reaching around and pulling the painfully large butt plug out of his ass.

As his brother was recuperating on the floor near the bed, Matt quickly checked the few places in the room where anyone could hide themselves. The closet, the bathroom. He even looked under the bed and behind the small desk in the corner. There was no one.

Relieved, Matt helped his younger brother to sit up. The young Hardy collapsed, exhausted, back against the side of the bed. Jeff looked down with disdain at his own weeping member, which had been fitted with a cock-ring for the entertainment of the vampires. Sliding the device open with shaking hands, he pulled the ring off of his rock-hard dick and threw it with force across the room.

Matt grabbed a blanket from the bed and offered it to Jeff. The young Hardy accepted it gratefully, wrapping it tightly around himself. Matt couldn't help but notice that his brother still looked nervous, shooting odd glances towards the windows over and over again.

Matt dropped down next to Jeff. He allowed the younger Hardy to rest his head upon his shoulder. Jeff's weary, bloodshot eyes slowly slipped closed.

"Jeffy, who did this to you?", Matt asked gently, one hand running through his brother's multi-colored locks.

Jeff abruptly pulled away from his brother's comforting embrace. "I want you to leave", he said quietly, unable to meet Matt's worried gaze.

Matt didn't move. "No", he replied gently, "I've obviously been too wrapped up in my own shit to realize that something was going on with you, Jeffro, but that stops now. I'm gonna help you get through this, whatever it is-"

"I don't _need_ your help", Jeff said, his voice laced with tangible desperation, "Please, Matty, just go-"

Matt's gaze darkened as he regarded his sibling. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Because this is _my_ problem, Matty", Jeff replied quietly, "And you don't want any part of it, believe me."

"I can't help you if you won't tell me what's going on", Matt said, as gently as he could, "After all, we both know that keeping quiet about your problems hasn't been known to help you in the past-"

The young Hardy just looked away, suggesting that he was finished talking about this.

"Jeff-", Matt prompted warningly, frustration evident in his voice.

"God dammit, Matt!", Jeff snapped suddenly, surprising his older sibling into silence. "This is not the time to talk about it!", his voice shook with frantic anger, "You have to get out of here-"

Matt shook his head. "No", he said calmly, "I don't think I will. If you believe I'm gonna leave my little brother alone and unprotected after what I just found, you're out of your mind, Jeffy."

"Matt, you don't understand what's going on here!", Jeff protested vehemently.

"Then make me understand", the older Hardy countered calmly, watching his brother closely.

At the moment Jeff was too tired, too beaten-down and used-up, to fabricate anything resembling a decent response to that.

"We're rooming together until we get this figured out", Matt said, his tone brooking no argument.

Jeff looked resigned to that. He'd figured Matt would want to stay as close as possible to him, now that his brother had caught a glimpse of the way he actually spent his evenings.

Jeff glanced at the window again, his face expressionless, before returning his gaze to his concerned older brother. Slowly, creakily, he rose to his feet, using the bed for support.

"I'm going to take a shower", he said quietly as he shuffled off towards the bathroom, "If you're staying here, you should go get your stuff."

Matt rose. "Jeff, you know", he said quietly, "You were attacked. We should probably take you to the hospital, and from there they can get a police report filled out-"

"No hospitals. No police", Jeff replied quietly, as if by rote.

Before Matt had had a chance to tell him what a ludicrous notion that was given the circumstances, Jeff had shut the bathroom door in his face, leaving his brother standing alone in the cold, empty hotel room.

[xxxxxxx]

Antrim had not spoken much since the narrow escape from the bookstore.

His persistent silence was putting Adam and Jay on edge, making them wonder what his intentions were. His sudden reappearance was certainly convenient, and they were both utterly grateful for his actions at the coven house, though their natural distrust of vampires made the two of them wonder on some level if he had ulterior motives for saving them.

Resolving to be on their guard, they said little as Antrim flew them back to their hotel, where they were told to pack their things, check out, and meet the vampire around back. Ten minutes later, the trio was standing on the edge of a darkened alleyway, winter wind slicing through their heavy coats.

Antrim had flagged a taxi, and once they were all stuffed into the back seat, the vampire instructed the driver to bring them to the airport.

The little car sped through the winter night, its driver completely oblivious to the unholy creature that he carried as a passenger.

"Antrim-", Adam said softly, his tone at once full of incredulity and excitement.

"We shall speak later, Adam", he said gently, his gaze trained on the passing city lights, "I promise, I shall answer all questions you may have. Patience."

Adam and Jay shot each other a meaningful look, each thinking the same thing.

_Can we trust him? _

God_, I hope we can trust him._

They glanced at Antrim, who continued to serenely watch the city skyline moving outside his window. He did not seem to notice their anxiety. Or, perhaps, he deemed it unworthy of his attention.

They arrived at the airport and went through the routine of purchasing tickets, checking luggage, passing security, and locating their gate, all without incident. They would be meeting up with WWE on the road, as they both had matches tomorrow night. San Jose, California was the destination this time, one city on an endless list of cities, unremarkable, unmemorable.

They only had to wait an hour before they'd boarded a half-empty plane. Fifteen minutes later they were in the air, cutting through the frigid winter night.

It was only when the lights of Chicago were far behind them that Antrim broke his stoic, guarded silence.

He gazed over at both wrestlers, something akin to affection shining in his deep, unnatural eyes. "I apologize for my rudeness earlier, boys", he said, "But I had to listen, to ensure that we were not being followed. Now that we have left the city, there is no danger, and we can speak freely."

Adam and Jay appeared so blatantly relieved at this revelation that the vampire couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.

"The two of you should learn to better shield your thoughts. Anxiety and suspicion has been rolling off of both of you in waves, for hours now. Though, I cannot blame either of you for suspecting me of treachery, I suppose. I am a vampire, after all, and I _was_ living with a rather… unsavory group of individuals. A most distasteful and unfortunate thing, though I can assure you, it was necessary for my survival. There is, however, no need for either of you to fear me. I remain rather fond of the two of you", his strange eyes flicked over Adam's pale features as he intimated this, "and I shall continue to do all I can to protect you from harm."

"Thank you", Adam replied, meeting the ginger's gaze. A smile pulled at the edges of his soft pink lips, gratitude worn openly, sincerely.

Antrim nodded, before forcing himself to look away.

He wasn't sure why Adam in particular evoked such protectiveness in him. It was not, after all, in his nature to shield humans from his kind. He had never gone out of his way to do so before. But this boy… he awakened something deep and primal within him.

_What would it be like_, the vampire speculated, _to bring this child into the darkness? To give him an eternity of youth and beauty, to allow him the opportunity to experience all the wonders that lay beyond the human realm? Would he thank me for that, or shun me? I cannot help but wonder… _

Jason's voice abruptly pulled the vampire from his musings.

"We're really sorry we caused so much trouble, Antrim", the blonde said, sounding rather nervous, "We just didn't expect things to go south so quickly."

Antrim turned his strange gaze to Christian and laughed his quiet, musical laugh. "I have grown quite used to your trouble-making ways, Jason. Do not worry yourself over it."

"You know", Adam interjected, his tone serious, "We thought you were dead."

"Ah, indeed", Antrim replied gravely, "Gangrel _did_ nearly get the better of me, didn't he?"

"How did you survive?", asked Jay, attention rapt upon the mysterious vampire.

"A month beneath the soil will cure the gravest of wounds", Antrim said evenly, "I simply buried myself, and slept. It ended up being quite rejuvenating, as I recall."

Adam and Jay glanced at each other, unsettled.

No matter how much they were around vampires, they would never, ever get used to them or their repulsive, undead ways.

Jay narrowed his eyes, regarding Antrim a bit suspiciously, as if something had just occurred to him. "But why were you running with that group of disgusting vampires, from the bookstore? That doesn't really seem like your crowd-"

Antrim leaned forward, as if to emphasize his point. In turn, Adam and Jay pushed themselves further back into the under-stuffed plane seats, wide eyes fixated on the deathly-pale face of their vampire ally. "You must not judge them, or me, until you fully understand the situation, boys. You see, the Council hands out edicts of exile, much like the one placed upon Gangrel's head, rather frequently. And exiled vampires hold the lowest status in vampire society, a culture that isabsolutely centered upon fighting over rank and title, and status. Once exiled, these vampires become nothing in the eyes of their peers. They become garbage, worthy of two things only: extermination, or sport. These exiles, these outcasts, are often tortured or killed, if ever spotted by freely-roaming, un-sentenced vampires. Therefore, they tend to live sparsely, with barely a possession to call their own, so that they can easily run away if the need arises."

Adam looked confused. "But why were they living together in a huge group, then?", he asked, "Isn't that the fastest way to attract an enemy's attention?"

"They congregate in groups for several reasons, protection first and foremost. It is easier to pick off a single exile, after all, than it is to take out a whole nest of them. You must also understand, however, that an exile's existence is lonely and endlessly taxing, each night spent moving from city to city, wondering if he is being followed, wondering if that night, or the next, shall mark his death. But these secret covens offer camaraderie, a feeling of security, of brotherhood. It is no small thing, knowing that there are others who understand your pain, and will allow you shelter, despite your crimes, or your past." He sighed. "The point is, the life of any exiled vampire is extremely difficult, and centered almost exclusively on survival. It is a terrible way to be forced to live-"

"But why were _you_ with them?", Adam interrupted, somewhat impatiently, "You're not an exile."

"Unfortunately, I am", Antrim replied calmly.

The boys absorbed this news, stunned.

"How the hell did _that_ happen?", asked Adam, wide-eyed with disbelief.

"After I rose from my month recuperating underground, I was called before the Council", the red-head related, his tone as detachedly composed as if he were recounting the plot of a particularly uninteresting play, "They had many questions for me, concerning Gangrel, and his whereabouts, and his recent actions. I told them only what I knew, which I needn't repeat to you, as you are quite aware of it all." The two blondes nodded in concert. "Nothing I said placated them. They were convinced that I was lying, that I was hiding him somewhere, that I was aiding him when I should have been informing the authorities of his whereabouts. Nothing I said could convince them otherwise, and I was sentenced to exile. I suppose I was lucky not to be executed on the spot." He shrugged. "Anyway, the point is, I found that coven of vampires to be as repulsive as you did. But they were a survival tool. It's as simple as that."

"I'm sorry you were exiled for Gangrel's bullshit, Antrim. You didn't deserve that", Jay said, his tone sincerely contrite.

Antrim, grateful for the sentiment, nodded in reply.

The vampire smiled at these boys, so beautiful and vibrant, and seemingly untouched by darkness. He had done well, turning Gangrel in to the Council. Otherwise, who knew where Adam and Jason would be now? Who knew what they would be like? Gangrel was quite particular in his tastes, after all. Undoubtedly, he would have molded these lovely creatures into a pair of sad, broken dolls, beaten, raped, and utterly devoid of life. The thought chilled him.

"So, boys", Antrim said, sitting back in his seat and lacing his fingers over his slim abdomen, "now that I have assuaged your curiosity, let us speak of other, more pressing matters. For example, I would very much like an explanation for tonight's… visit. After all, you must have a grave need, to be walking unprotected into a nest of vampires with such ridiculous leverage."

Adam frowned. "Was it so ridiculous? If those vampires hadn't been exiles-"

"Then they surely would have dined well tonight upon two foolish blondes, before taking news of Gangrel's whereabouts to the Council themselves", Antrim interjected smoothly, "You don't really think un-exiled vampires would have acted any differently towards a pair of wayward humans wandering into their lair, do you?"

Edge sighed, "I suppose not. It's just… We were desperate."

"I gathered that."

"You have to understand, Antrim, we came here because we were completely out of options. A friend of ours is going to die, or go insane, if we don't help him. We just… couldn't think of any other way to get the Council's attention."

Antrim regarded the two boys gravely. "This concerns Gangrel, correct?"

Jay nodded. "He came back, despite the Council's sentence, and enslaved a close friend of ours, just a few months after we were freed. He's had him under his power ever since."

Sadness flicked across the vampire's pale features. "A long time to be enslaved to one as sadistic as Gangrel", he said quietly.

"Jeff, our friend, he's strong", Adam said, "Stronger than Jay and I ever were. But there's only so much any human could ever take in that situation, and I think Gangrel's been escalating his abuse..." He trailed off, looking away from the face of the attentive, concerned vampire sitting across from him. He couldn't stop thinking about Jeff's thin, bruised face, his dead eyes, the way he flinched whenever someone accidentally brushed by him in the locker room… The thought of it brought back so many terrible memories, and made him feel slightly sick.

"I can help your friend", Antrim said, his eyes on Adam.

"How? Your contacts in the world of vampires have gone away. You can't get Gangrel arrested again. You're an exile now", Adam tried desperately to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice. Antrim didn't have to be here, he reminded himself. He could've left us for dead in that coven house.

"Who said anything about getting him arrested?", the red-head replied. "No, I had something a bit more… permanent in mind."

For the first time since they'd left Chicago, hope bloomed in the blondes' faces.

"You mean you plan on... killing him?", Jay asked hesitantly.

"Certainly", Antrim replied calmly, "He is obviously too dangerous to be left alive. The Council, unfortunately, has been grievously ineffective in their handling of the situation. I shall, therefore, gladly do what needs to be done."

Adam sat forward. "And what about you?", he asked, gaze intense upon the vampire's face, "If you kill Gangrel, what will the Council do to you?"

"Oh, nothing too severe, I should imagine", Antrim replied, "Exiles are barely worthy of their attention, remember. If they ever even discover Gangrel's death, I believe they shall simply count themselves as glad that one less exile lives to stain their unspoiled society."

The blondes did not look completely convinced of this explanation. They did not, however, argue.

Silence sat heavily between them for a little while, as each digested the possibility of a world without Gangrel in it.

"I should like to meet this Jeff", Antrim muttered abruptly, his gaze fixed upon the night sky moving past their window, "If I can offer him any reassurances in these desperate times, then I would like to do so."

"He'll be at the arena we perform at, and he should be staying at the same hotel we are", Jay said, "It shouldn't be too hard to arrange a meeting."

Antrim nodded silently in reply, his gaze never straying from the pitch-blackness outside the tiny portal.

The vampire wondered if Gangrel had any idea what was speeding towards him, on some innocuous-looking airplane in the dark hours of the night. But Antrim couldn't foresee any way the other vampire would be able to anticipate this. His ignorance would spell his doom.

This time, Antrim resolved, he would not allow Gangrel to walk away.

The vampire allowed a small smile to twist his pale lips. He had to admit, he would enjoy bringing the blonde vampire a great deal of pain before he died.

Suddenly, he realized that his mouth felt very dry. He hoped that they were going to land soon.

He needed to sink his teeth into someone's neck. He needed to taste the gush of blood over his tongue, a shot of adrenaline into dead veins, a banquet feast served up to a starving man.

_Soon_, he promised himself, pervasive dehydration slowly invading every pore of him.

Closing his eyes, he relaxed tense muscles, pushing the hunger away.

Sleep, however, was never a thing that came easily to him.

Not anymore.

[xxxxxxx]

Jeff walked swiftly out of the hotel, and into the cool air of early evening. Pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his jacket pocket, he paused for a moment, looking around instinctually for an area of high traffic in which to enjoy his smokes. He had, after all, learned long ago that there were painful consequences for wandering off by himself after dark.

He was happy to see a hip-high concrete wall to the immediate left of the hotel entrance, one running the entire length of the building. Relieved that he would not have to wander far, Jeff took a seat upon the structure and lit a cigarette, closing his eyes, allowing the tobacco to calm his frayed nerves.

He'd had to practically beg his brother to let him come out here by himself. Typical Matt, being worried about every little thing. Though, Jeff supposed he couldn't blame him, considering what he'd recently witnessed.

It had been a few days since he'd last been attacked and, true to his word, Matt had continued to ensure that the two of them roomed together, constantly hovering near to see if he needed anything. Jeff tried to shrug it off, to explain to Matt that he was fine, and that he really didn't need such close and stifling scrutiny. But his brother wasn't fooled by his act, not this time. This time, he was beginning to get a glimpse of the depth of his brother's fear, an emotion Jeff so desperately tried to hide.

The young Hardy had been continually thinking about Gangrel, who had disappeared the night of the attack and not returned since. Perhaps, Jeff mused, he's been discouraged by Matt's near-constant presence. The young Hardy had to admit that the break in activity was a welcome relief, though he was rather terrified about what would occur when Gangrel _did_ decide to come back.

He sighed, wondering what his brother must think of him right now.

Matt thankfully hadn't pushed him for any information yet, perhaps because he thought he needed time to heal from his "ordeal". But Jeff knew the questions would be coming, sooner or later. The young Hardy didn't want to think about it, but he knew he'd have to have a plausible story to tell his brother. Matt wouldn't be satisfied with the usual muttered half-truths and plastic smiles. He'd seen Jeff's shame with his own two eyes, after all.

Explanations had to be given.

Despite the stress of being constantly scrutinized and watched over, however, the young Hardy _did_ have to admit that he was extremely grateful for Matt's presence. His brother was certainly over-protective, but he was also a strong, unyielding shoulder to lean on in hard times. Being with Matt, talking to him, laughing with him about stupid shit, always made Jeff feel protected, as if he wasn't alone in this anymore.

But there were always moments of terrible clarity to pierce his illusions of security. And these would force him to realize that sooner or later, Gangrel would be making a reappearance, as he always did.

The vampire, Jeff knew, would not be pleased about the way things had gone down in the previous city. He might even finally force Matt into his sick little game. His brother _had_ been the one to interrupt Gangrel and Thorn's little fuck-party, after all.

Jeff took a long, shaky drag of his cigarette.

_He can't touch Matt, ever. That would kill me, _thought the young Hardy._ My brother…_ Another deep, desperate, smoke-filled inhale. _My brother is innocent. He'd never understand any of this shit. It would fucking ruin him._

Jeff sighed deeply, bone-deep tiredness running through him. He felt as if he hadn't slept in years.

He let his chin drop to his chest, his eyes content to look upon nothing more than the static pavement at his feet. Half-listening to the sounds of traffic and the distant conversations of passerby, he took another drag, enjoying the sweet burn of the cigarette smoke as it travelled down his throat, into his lungs.

"Good evening, Jeffrey", a cultured, slightly-accented voice sounded to his right.

The young Hardy gasped, startled, his head shooting up, panic swimming in his bloodshot green eyes.

There, perched next to him on the wall was Gabriel, the man he'd met in that odd bar called "The Aftermath" a little over a week ago.

"What the hell?", Jeff exclaimed loudly, nearly falling from his seat as he clumsily shifted back from the interloper sitting beside him. Gabriel, for his part, managed to look as nonplussed as he'd been when they first met, mysterious and charismatic, a man utterly unaffected by the trivialities of life.

It took but a moment for the young Hardy to regain his senses. Once he had, he jumped to his feet, backing up a few paces, his eyes fixed upon the strange man sitting on the wall.

"I don't know why you've been following me, but I don't take kindly to stalkers", Jeff said in a low, angry voice.

"Stalkers?", Gabriel repeated softly in his exotic, oddly unplaceable accent, "I'm not familiar with the term."

The young Hardy glared. "You seem smart enough. Figure it out." He turned to leave.

"Jeffrey, wait. Please, just for a moment."

Jeff stopped and turned around, glowering fiercely.

"No. I absolutely cannot and will not deal with this shit. I have enough going on in my life without having to worry about some psychotic freak that decided to follow me halfway across the country after talking to me once in a bar for five minutes. Go _away_."

The man on the wall sat there, calmly as ever, unmoving, his face a stoic mask, revealing nothing of his emotions. As before, Jeff couldn't help but be struck by his near-ethereal beauty. Gabriel's long black hair was pulled back in a loosely-worn braid tonight, those delicate, aristocratic features set off perfectly by the wild, dark locks. A pair of bright blue eyes watched Jeff patiently, intensely.

"I understand your anxiety", the mysterious man said, his tone placating, "But I assure you, I mean you no harm. I have, in fact, travelled here to offer my assistance, if I might."

The young Hardy glanced behind him. He was almost at the front doors to the large hotel. All he had to do was turn and take a few quick steps, and he would be safely inside.

"I don't need your assistance", Jeff replied, "Go the fuck _home_." He turned to leave again, hoping that would be the end of it.

"I have seen the one causing your pain", Gabriel responded quickly, "Gangrel, is it?"

Jeff froze. He turned around, slowly, his face pale, his eyes huge.

"How the hell do you know about him?"

"I promised you when we first met that I could help you", the strange man replied calmly, "And I still hold to that. It was not difficult to find the source of your pain, considering the fact that you wear it so openly. Now that the foundation of your torment has been identified, it must be destroyed. I shall see to that immediately."

Jeff stood there, numb, blood going ice cold as he abruptly realized the full scope of Gabriel's intentions. "You can't", he whispered, "He- He'll…" The young Hardy choked. "He'll kill you. He'll kill _me_."

Gabriel smiled. He suddenly appeared very, very intimidating. "Please, let him try."

The young Hardy's gaze was slightly pleading. "I don't understand. Why the hell are you doing this?"

The other man's smile softened, and those fathomless blue eyes met Jeff's own, comforting, reassuring. "My reasons are my own, Jeffrey. Please, simply know that you have an ally against this Gangrel. He will not plague you for much longer."

The two regarded each other for a moment, the silence intense. Gabriel nodded, then shot Jeff a sober, yet charming smile, before turning to walk away.

"I shall see you again soon, Jeffrey", he called over his shoulder, "I promise."

Jeff watched him walking away down the darkening street, his gut churning with a strange mixture of fear, uncertainty, and hope.

[xxxxxxx]

Menacing clouds rolled in to cover the darkening California sky.

As a clap of thunder sounded off in the far distance, a lone taxi pulled up to the back lot of the HP Pavilion, a mid-sized arena located in the heart of San Jose.

Three passengers, two tall blonde men and a taller red-head, exited the cab, paid the driver, and began making their way quickly towards a barred fence, which was guarded by an armed security guard. The man looked slightly annoyed that he'd have to turn more fans away. Really, couldn't people _read_? The entrance was in the front of the building!

One of the new arrivals stepped forward to address the guard, who couldn't help but unabashedly stare. Why did this guy look so… familiar?

"Hey, man", the strange blonde was saying, his tone becoming somewhat urgent as he glanced down at his watch, "Could you let us in? We're performing here tonight."

The guard stared harder at him, thick brows furrowed, before turning his suspicious gaze to the man standing at his shoulder. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and a seemingly delighted smile crossed his face. "I know you two; you do those five-second poses!"

Jay fought the impulse to roll his eyes. They hadn't performed that shtick in _years_. "Uh, yeah, buddy, that's us", he said dryly, exchanging knowing smirks with Adam.

The guard immediately began fumbling for the keys on his belt.

"I'm really sorry, guys", the guard apologized, "I didn't recognize you."

"Don't worry about it", Adam replied, smirking, "We're probably coming in through the wrong gate anyway."

The guard ushered them inside though chose not to confirm, or deny, his statement.

A loud clap of thunder echoed all around the arena suddenly, like the war drums of a not-so-distant army, savage, cruel, and bloodthirsty. It was an ominous sound.

"Come", Antrim said softly, "We haven't much time." He was looking out, through the locked gates, into the black shadows of the parking lot. Seeing something, perhaps, that humans were not capable of seeing.

Adam and Jay followed his gaze. They saw nothing. They felt Antrim's unease, however, saw him suddenly draw up, his lean frame taut with nervous energy.

"Boys", he urged quietly, "We should go."

Glancing nervously at each other, the blondes turned away from the parking lot. They thanked the guard for his assistance, and quickly made their way inside.

Once they were safely indoors, Adam whirled to face Antrim, asking bluntly, "Alright, what the hell was that all about?"

"What do you mean?"

Adam glared. "Don't patronize us, Antrim", he replied, "The two of us may be human, but we're not _stupid_. What were you looking at in the parking lot that got you so nervous?"

Antrim regarded the two blondes for a moment, saying nothing. Obviously, he was unsure of how to reply to Adam's query. He sighed, his strange gaze drawn back towards the exit doors, down at the end of the hallway. "I'm not sure. I believe there was something… non-human", he murmured, "Something very powerful."

"Another vampire?", asked Adam, his tone anxious. That was _all_ they needed.

"I cannot say", the red-head replied, "Whatever it was, it cloaked itself exceedingly well."

"Do you think it's a threat?", asked Jay, his gaze following Antrim's, watching the doors as if, at any moment, some feral vampire would burst in and kill them all, "I mean, do we have to worry about this on top of everything else?"

Antrim turned back to the two humans, who were watching him anxiously.

"No", he replied gently, "Unless it returns, or attacks directly, there is no reason to be concerned. We must remember, it could have simply been a powerful vampire, attracted by a large gathering of humans. This place would make for ideal hunting grounds tonight."

Adam and Jay chose not to respond to that statement. God, fucking _vampires_…

"Well, I guess we should hurry", Adam said, changing the subject, "We're already running late."

"Do you think Jeff will be in the locker rooms?", Antrim asked as they walked swiftly through the well-lit hallways.

"No, he does everything he can to avoid them", Jay responded, "I think he's just really nervous about being scrutinized too closely by the guys, you know? He doesn't want anyone he doesn't trust looking at his body, and I'm sure by now, he trusts no one, no matter how friendly they may appear."

"Which reminds me, Antrim", Adam said, abruptly changing the subject, "I wanted to mention…" The blonde sighed. "Jeff doesn't trust vampires. I'm sure you can understand why." The red-head nodded. "I think you should let the two of us talk to him first, alone. That way we can explain what's going on, kind of ease him into the idea of dealing with a vampire."

"I am certainly not opposed to it, if you believe this way is best", Antrim replied calmly.

"We'll keep him talking, and prevent him from running away", Jay said, "I figure once he's calmed down enough to listen, you can let him know that you're here to get rid of Gangrel. But, uh, I'll warn you right now, it's not going to be easy to get through to him. Jeff's a tough nut to crack."

Antrim shook his head, and sighed. This boy, this Jeff… He was dreading meeting him. Seeing the broken leavings of Gangrel's cruel abuse, greeting the whipping boy whose life had become nothing more than a series of responses to his vampire master's evil whims…

He still didn't know what he was going to say to this poor child. After all, years of his life had been gleefully stolen away by his former friend, Gangrel. Any words of comfort would undoubtedly seem rather… inadequate, given the circumstances at hand.

"Hey, Antrim?", Adam's voice pulled him back to the sparse, brightly-lit halls, which were fairly bustling with the buzz of pre-show excitement, "We're here."

The vampire noticed a set of closed doors to his immediate right, dark blue in color. A sheet of white paper had been taped to one, reading "Men's Locker".

"Unfortunately, we can't bring you in here with us. The locker rooms are restricted to wrestlers only", Adam explained.

"Just try to stay somewhere close, and keep yourself out of sight, if possible", Jay continued, "We'll hurry."

Antrim nodded calmly, and moved off towards the end of the hallway as the boys disappeared into the locker room. He wasn't worried about being discovered, not in the slightest.

Looking left, then right, he listened closely, wishing to absolutely assure himself that there were no intrusive humans wandering nearby. He did not, after all, want anyone to see what he was about to do.

Satisfied that he was alone, he began scaling the wall, moving swiftly and silently, not stopping until he was perched upside-down on the smooth concrete ceiling high above. He hung there, silently, patiently, smiling amusedly as several humans completely passed him by, ignorant of his presence in the shadows above their heads.

Ten minutes passed. Antrim kept his strange eyes trained on the locker room door, on that clumsily-written note that had been taped there, telling the men where to go. Finally, the portal opened. A flood of conversation and laughter poured into the quiet hallway.

"Yeah? Well, fuck you too, Mizanin!", Adam stood in the doorway, laughingly getting the last word in a verbal-sparring session he'd been having with another wrestler, "Come on Jay, I've had enough of these retarded clowns for one evening."

A heavily-accented voice cried, "Suck my balls, Copeland!"

"No thanks, Sheamus", Adam replied, his tone mock-regretful, "Don't wanna catch anything nasty."

He turned and left before anyone could get another jab in. They were wasting time here.

Moving out into the hallway, the two blondes began to look around for their vampiric compatriot. They saw nothing, no one.

"Antrim!", Jay hissed quietly, "Hey, where the hell are you?"

"Right above you, Jason", came the unruffled reply, "Look up."

"Jesus Christ!", exclaimed Jay, jumping back from the vampire, who was hanging upside-down from the ceiling like a great, pale bat.

Antrim chuckled as he smoothly and silently made his way down the wall. "Did I startle you?"

"Fuck yes, you startled me!", replied Jay, "I nearly pissed myself!"

"Are you two ready to go?", asked Adam, who was obviously attempting to hide his unease over Antrim's bizarre acrobatics, "We have about an hour before our match, but we shouldn't have any trouble tracking Jeff down in that time. He usually likes to hang out by the back doors, so he can smoke."

Antrim nodded, gesturing for the two of them to lead the way.

It took about five minutes for them to reach the rear entrance. This area was largely deserted right now, as the show was taking place on the other side of the building.

Immediately, Adam and Jay noticed that the door had been propped open with a small box. Part of Jeff's back, his slim waist, his drooping shoulder, his disheveled, unbrushed hair could be seen through the yawning portal.

Edge turned to Antrim. "Hide, alright?", he whispered, "We'll come get you when it's time."

Antrim gave him a reassuring smile. "I shall be close-by, listening in. Good luck."

Without further warning, the vampire was gone.

Adam and Jay shared a nervous look between them, but wasted no further time. They began walking towards the doorway, their strides purposeful, their manners determined. They couldn't leave this time without knowing that Jeff would accept their help. The young Hardy was running out of options, after all.

The pair strode up to the back entranceway. When Jeff did not react to the sound of their approaching footsteps, Jay rapped lightly in the center of the door a few times, in order to garner his attention.

"Hey, Jeff?", Adam said carefully, "You mind if we talk to you for a few?"

The young Hardy was leaning heavily against a railing, smoking one of his ever-present cigarettes. His tired eyes gazed off into the distance.

"I told you two to stay the fuck away from me." His voice was quiet, dangerously soft, every word edged with a dark and venomous intensity.

Any sane person would have turned around and walked back into the building, leaving the angry young man to his business. Adam and Jay would not be diverted from the task at hand, however.

"Jeff, listen, we won't take up much of your time, alright?" Jay paused, waiting for a reply. When he received none, he continued, "We wouldn't have bothered you again, but we finally found a way to help you, and-"

Sharp, bitter laughter interrupted Jay's account.

"_Help_ me?", Jeff spat, "The last time you offered your oh-so-gracious _help_, asshole, Gangrel dragged me out to a field in the middle of nowhere, beat the ever-living shit out of me, and raped me until I couldn't see straight. The last thing I will ever need is your help! I have enough problems!"

He snuffed his cigarette out on the railing, and began walking back inside.

Adam blocked his path. "Listen, I understand why you're pissed. We fucked up."

"That's a fucking understatement…", Jeff muttered, a glare of pure acid upon his pale face.

He continued as if the young Hardy hadn't spoken. "But we actually found a way to get rid of Gangrel, forever. Imagine, Jeff, being free of him-"

"Look, I can't talk to you", Jeff said fiercely, trying to move past Edge once again, "He always _knows_. Always. I've never been able to get anything past him. And I can't deal with his punishments anymore. So please, let me by." Jeff stared at his friend, angry and yet _pleading_, waiting for him to move.

"I'll move as soon as you hear this", Adam said, unwavering, "I promise, it won't take long."

Before Jeff could protest, Jay continued, "We have someone with us tonight who's ready and willing to lend a hand with the Gangrel situation."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Who? The _police_?", he scoffed sarcastically, annoyed that he was being forced to listen to this.

"It's someone we trust, Jeff, someone who saved our lives, a long time ago. Now he's willing to save _yours_", Adam replied quietly, solemnly, "We met him when we were Gangrel's slaves. He had the chance to, er, _have_ us for the night. But after seeing how horribly Gangrel treated us, he was disgusted enough to turn him into the vampire council. He's the reason that we're free, Jeff. We owe everything to him."

Jeff stared, unsure of how he should react to this new revelation. Was Adam implying that he and Jay had been freed by a fucking _vampire_? He'd always wondered how they'd managed to break free of Gangrel, but he'd certainly never expected… this.

"We thought this person was long dead, killed years ago by Gangrel. But we came across him, completely by circumstance, when we were visiting Chicago a few days back."

"We began telling him what's been going on here", Jay took up the narrative, "What Gangrel's been doing, how he's been hurting you for years…"

Jeff's gaze darkened.

"He immediately agreed to help you, Jeff", Adam said, his tone gentle yet completely earnest, "And believe me, this is the type of help you want."

"Is it?", Jeff mused. His mind turned strangely to Gabriel at that moment. He wondered if accepting this strange vampire's help would be any worse than taking Gabriel's.

Either way, Gangrel would find out. He always knew. And Jeff always suffered for that knowledge.

"Jeff?", Jay urged gently, wondering what the young Hardy was thinking.

"I have to go", Jeff replied slowly, softly. He started for the door, which was still blocked by an unmoving Adam.

Jeff glared. "Get out of my way, Adam."

"Just meet him, Jeffy", Adam replied stoically, "That's all we're asking."

"I have already been here too fucking long", Jeff hissed, quivering with rage, "Gangrel's going to rip me apart for talking to the two of you. And now you want me to have a conversation with the guy who turned him into the Council? Are you out of your fucking minds? I mean really, what the hell is wrong with the two of you?" Adam and Jay remained silent through every word of Jeff's scalding lecture, allowing him to vent his righteous anger. "How _dare_ you just _decide_ to bring this guy here? You know that Gangrel will notice something is up! He'll see this guy following him, or realize that you two are acting weirder than usual. And then, like always, _I_ will be the one to suffer for it, because he's been sure that for years I've been planning something with the two of you, and nothing I've ever said, or done, has convinced him otherwise. But you never take that shit into account, do you? It doesn't affect you, after all."

Adam and Jay both had the good sense to look ashamed. How very foolish they had been in the past. They would not, however, apologize for their exploits this time around. Both truly believed that bringing Antrim here was the best, and only, course of action, if they wanted to save their friend.

An outcast to take down an outcast, a vampire to take down a vampire. It seemed… logical, in some odd way. There would be no council, no intrusive laws. This time, a fight between evenly-matched opponents would decide the fate of Gangrel's hapless human slave.

"Jeff, he really can help you", Jay said, "Don't you at least want to meet him?"

A flash of conflicted pain crossed the young Hardy's face, immediately replaced by tired indifference. "No, I don't." There it was. The lie, laid out, simply, succinctly. Let them do with it what they would.

Adam opened his mouth, obviously ready to argue.

"No! Enough!", Jeff said sharply, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say, "You two never listen to me, but you will listen now, god dammit!" Adam closed his mouth. Jay froze, attention riveted upon the young Hardy. Jeff continued. "Understand, this little pet project of yours to play the saviors has been a useless effort for _years_ now. You can't fucking save me, and you certainly can't free me. You should've realized by now, Gangrel wrecked whatever was worth salvaging a long time ago. He's turned me into nothing more than an over-used sex toy." He closed his eyes, perhaps to shut out the sick and pained expressions upon his former friends' visages. "I'm not fucking _worth_ saving, because even if Gangrel went away tomorrow, there's no healing from the shit he's done to me. I'm finished. Eventually, that bloodsucking pig is going to go overboard and accidentally kill me during one of his little fuck-fests. I'll bow down and _thank_ him for it. So tell your vampire friend to go back home to Chicago. He's not wanted here."

Adam stared, horrified at the casual, even _hopeful_ way Jeff spoke of his own death. Had he truly given up, then? Was he past the point of saving?

"Five minutes, Jeff", Jay intervened, sounding perhaps a bit more desperate than he'd have liked, "That's all we ask. Just talk to him for five minutes, and then we'll leave you alone if you ask us to."

Jeff didn't respond, beyond a dark, pouty glare. He looked angry, and fed up. He was so _tired_ of being ignored. Why couldn't they just listen to him for once? Why couldn't they leave him alone?

He began feeling around in his jacket pocket, eventually producing a cigarette and a lighter. Lighting up, he took a deep, lingering inhale. A cloud of hazy cigarette smoke sluggishly twined about his head in the low early-evening light, like a dirty, broken halo.

"Five minutes is all Antrim will need to convince you that he means well", Jay was continuing, "He's a good guy. Once you meet him, you'll trust him just as much as we do. Honestly." The other man's tone, meant to be gently persuasive, grated on Jeff's last nerve.

The young Hardy said nothing. He really didn't want to deal with this right now. He was already troubled by Gangrel's conspicuous week-long absence, wondering what it could portend. There had been little else on his mind for the past several days, considering the nature of the vampire's disappearance. He knew, when Gangrel _did_ decide to return, he would bleed for it.

And now, there was this new vampire to worry about, on top of everything else. Surely, should Gangrel discover that his enemy was in town, he would find some way to blame Jeff for it. He seemed to blame Jeff for everything, whether he was responsible, or not.

"So…", Adam prodded annoyingly, perhaps taking Jeff's silence for reluctant assent, "You'll meet Antrim?"

Once again, Jeff didn't answer, choosing instead to turn away from the invasive blondes and lean against the railing so he could smoke. It was intended as a dismissive gesture, but Adam and Jay would not be discouraged by the young Hardy's silence, nor would they be put off by his abrasive demeanor.

"Go get Antrim, Jay", Adam said, "Let him know Jeff's willing to talk."

Jeff said sharply, "I never said I was willing to talk."

He glanced back. Jay had already slipped past Adam, who was still blocking the doorway. He narrowed his eyes. Fucking stupid _bastards_.

The young Hardy abruptly realized that something about this situation was making him feel rather uneasy, though he couldn't put his finger on what exactly that was. Perhaps it was the way Adam and Jay were acting, so serious, so gravely _intense_, as if someone was going to die if Jeff didn't acquiesce to their stupid plans.

He shook his head. This was why he hated dealing with these morons. They virtually _bred_ stress and anxiety.

A deep puff of smoke-filled air, and his near-perpetual frazzled nerves calmed themselves once again. _Better_.

"Jeff? I'd like to introduce you to Antrim, if I could." The young Hardy turned around. Jay stood in the doorway, though Jeff's eyes were immediately drawn to the tall, thin man who was standing immediately to his right, shrouded by the evening shadows. "Antrim, this is Jeff Hardy."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Jeff Hardy." The man's voice was sweet, almost musical in tenor, and Jeff found that he immediately liked the sound of it, despite himself.

He kept his face blank, however, and his thoughts guarded, as had become habit around those of Antrim's kind. "Wish I could say the same", Jeff replied with the forced calm he always tried to adapt around vampires. The less they could sense of his disgust, of his _fear_, the better.

Antrim stepped into the circle of light cast by a lamp overhanging the door, his every movement as graceful and restrained as a practiced dancer's. Jeff couldn't help but stare. This vampire… It was apparent, simply from his sad, gentle smile that he was nothing like Gangrel. Nothing at all.

Antrim's sharp eyes studied Jeff's drawn features, his wan, waxen complexion, his dull, lifeless gaze. He was beaten, and exhausted, but despite it all, this one was an exceedingly rare beauty. He could certainly see why Gangrel clung to him so selfishly.

Ravenous hunger, a dark and greedy beast deep within the vampire's gut, abruptly flared up at the boy's scent. Jeff smelled of desperation, and defiance, and fear. Perfect and pungent, and tempting as sin.

Antrim shut his eyes, scolding himself for his weakness, pushing that clawing hunger down, suppressing it. He knew that he had nearly made a grave error. If he had allowed his vampiric nature to show even slightly, then he would surely never win Jeff Hardy's trust. These negotiations were surely a fragile thing, and desperately important.

The vampire's eyes slid open, falling once more upon the boy's tense features.

"He has been cruel to you", the vampire remarked in his soft, strong voice, carefully watching as Jeff took a deep drag of his cigarette, "I can see the evidence of your pain written upon your face. I can hear it in your words."

Jeff tensed. Gabriel had said almost the exact same thing to him.

That was… strange.

Not wanting the vampire to notice his unease, the young Hardy gave a bleak, bitter laugh. "Yeah, well, my life fucking sucks. I guess I've stopped trying to hide it."

There was that sadness again, flashing across Antrim's odd-colored eyes. It made Jeff angry. He didn't want Antrim's sadness, or his pity. He was tired of being fucking pitied. And god, the nerve of this fucking bloodsucker, daring to show up here, daring to pretend that he actually gave two shits about Jeff's shitty existence…

It pissed him off. It was a god damn insult, for him to suddenly show up here _now_, when the best years of his life had already been stolen away by that fucking molesting pig Gangrel-

"I assure you, Jeff", Antrim said solemnly, breaking into the young Hardy's stream of dark thoughts, "Had I known about your situation, had I had any inkling that Gangrel had returned and enslaved another human, I would have offered my assistance, immediately."

Jeff's eyes narrowed. "Stay the fuck out of my head."

"Forgive me, it was not my intention to pry", replied Antrim, his tone genuinely contrite, "Your thoughts were quite… forceful, however. I couldn't help but overhear."

"Whatever", Jeff muttered caustically. He turned away, to face the coming storm once again.

Antrim sighed. "Jeff, I know that you do not trust me. This is perfectly understandable, given Gangrel's past treatment of you." Jeff said nothing, nor did he react in any way to the vampire's statements. Undeterred by the boy's stony silence, he continued, "I can only assure you that I am here for your benefit, to protect you, to ensure that you receive no additional injuries from your supposed master."

"You're right about one thing, Antrim", Jeff said quietly, "I _don't_ trust you." He gazed into the vampire's face, eyes sparking with green fury. "You see, I've met plenty of shit-sucking vampires over the years. They were all as bad as Gangrel. Some actually turned out to be much, much worse. The point is, not one of them ever saw me as anything other than a good fuck, an amusing pet, or a convenient snack." The young Hardy glared, all composure slipping away. "So don't insult me by lying to me. Just lay it out there. Do what you're here to do. Get it the fuck over with." He took a step towards the vampire, and bared his throat.

Adam and Jay appeared horrified.

Antrim forcibly looked away from the pulsing jugular vein, a dark, snaking line that ran just beneath the young Hardy's flawless, alabaster skin. "I am not here to feed upon you, Jeff Hardy", he said, "Despite any pre-conceived notions you may have about me."

Jeff stared.

_Never_ had a vampire refused to feed from him.

He abruptly grew ever more suspicious. Surely, it was coming. Any minute now, he would be pinned beneath him, and those fangs would be buried deep in the tender flesh of his throat.

Really, what was this guy playing at?

"As I said, Jeff, I understand that your trust is not easily won." Jeff said nothing, a distrustful glare twisting his features. "I did not expect to come here and immediately gain your friendship. That would be foolish of me. My reason for being here tonight is simply to let you know that help, though long delayed, has finally arrived. I shall not allow Gangrel to harm you again."

"Yeah, right", Jeff muttured, snuffing out his cigarette on the railing, "Good luck with that one, asshole." He began moving towards the door.

"Hey, Jeff, wait!", Jay moved to stop him.

Jeff whirled around, scowling fiercely. "You had your five minutes. Now stay the fuck away from me."

He stamped back inside, kicking an empty box out of his path and watching in satisfaction as it slid and skipped across the cold, concrete floor.

Antrim watched the boy's furious departure with stoic concern.

"Well", Jay remarked, once Jeff was out of earshot, "that didn't go well at all."

"Perhaps", the vampire gave a vague reply, his strange gaze still fixed upon the empty doorway.

"What do we do now?", asked Adam.

Antrim finally turned to face his human companions.

"We shall search out Gangrel", he replied simply, "And then, we shall kill him." Despite the morbid topic of conversation, the vampire's smile was non-threatening, even gentle. "Jeff shall soon be free, boys. I promise."

Adam and Jay shot each other looks of silent encouragement.

Bringing Antrim here had been the right decision on their parts. He would help Jeff. He would do what needed to be done.

They had to believe that.

[xxxxxxx]

The show had wrapped up about an hour ago.

Jeff headed back to the hotel immediately afterwards, as he was exhausted, and fed up, and just fucking _over_ it. He wanted desperately to locate his room so he could slam the door, lie down, and hopefully get some much-needed sleep.

He was stressed out, his tired mind running in frantic circles, trying to make sense of the impossible situation he'd been placed in.

Fucking Adam and Jay, bringing that god damn bloodsucker here. It pissed him off more and more, each time he thought about it.

Jeff silently resolved to stay as far away from them as he possibly could. He didn't want that vampire anywhere near him. Let Adam and Jay be naïve morons. Let them believe Antrim's lies. Jeff would have no part of it.

Entering his room, he realized that Matt was already there, loudly bustling about in the washroom, running the water, drying his hair. The routine sounds immediately comforted the young Hardy. They portended another night spent in peace.

"Hey", Jeff greeted, dumping his bags by the bed and collapsing heavily down onto the mattress. God, he was fucking exhausted. He really hoped that Gangrel would stay away tonight, so he could get some sleep…

He forcibly pushed that thought away. There was, after all, no reason to dwell upon the vampire's strange absence. He would return, or not, when he wished. Jeff never had any say in the matter, one way or the other.

"Hey, Jeffro", Matt replied, coming out of the bathroom. The younger Hardy was surprised to see that his brother was dressed for a night out at the club. "Listen, I don't want to leave you here by yourself, so I was gonna see if you wanted to come with me and some of the guys. We're heading out to this local place, I actually think it's right down the street-"

"I'm really tired, Matt", Jeff replied, lying back, "Think I'm just gonna crash. I'll be fine here, honestly. Go out. Have fun with your friends."

"Jeffro…" Matt hesitated. The thought of leaving his little brother alone made him extremely nervous. He still didn't know anything about the vicious attack in the previous city, after all; Jeff refused to talk about it. What if he was hurt again?

"Matt", Jeff urged, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here, in the hotel, asleep. You should go out. You've been driving yourself insane this week, not having anything to do at night. Go have fun. I'll be here when you get back."

Finally, the older Hardy was persuaded. He promised to return within a few hours' time. He also ordered Jeff not to leave the room while he was away, under any circumstances. Rolling his eyes in dramatic fashion, Jeff promised he would stay put.

The young Hardy shut the door. He couldn't help but feel reassured when the heavy electronic lock audibly clicked into place. Sighing heavily, he shuffled off to bed, sure that he would fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

An hour passed.

The young Hardy lay there, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. He knew every detail of it by now, every pore and cranny and spot of dirt. He didn't want to lie here studying this ugly, unfinished hotel ceiling. He _wanted_ to close his eyes, and get some rest, for once.

But despite the comforting darkness of the nicely-appointed room, despite the cozy embrace provided by soft bedding, Jeff was finding sleep to be utterly elusive. He tossed and turned, his thoughts a frenzied jumble of stress and angst.

"I need a fucking cigarette", he mumbled, pissed off.

Rolling his sore, aching body out of bed, he clicked the light on.

Sighing irritably, he moved over to the desk chair, where he'd carelessly slung his jacket. He fumbled in the pockets, looking for cigarettes and his lighter.

He pulled a smoke out, pushing it tiredly between his lips. Suddenly his eyes fell upon a small placard that had been placed on the desk.

"THIS IS A NON-SMOKING ROOM."

"Fuck, of _course_ it is", Jeff grumbled irritably. He was tempted to light up anyway.

He weighed his options. He could lie back down and stare at the ceiling all night, awake and restless, or he could trudge downstairs, go outside, and smoke a quick cigarette to calm his frazzled nerves.

The latter seemed the more attractive option at the moment.

Jeff threw some jeans and a t-shirt on, then made his way out to the street, cigarettes, lighter, and key card in hand.

He lit up, leaning back against the rough concrete wall of the hotel. Shutting his eyes, he inhaled, enjoying the cool, crisp night air.

And suddenly, he was wrenched from his position, back and up and over, as if he were a ragdoll being handled by an abusive child.

The world was spinning lights and blurry nothingness. He had no idea where up was, or down.

And then, without warning, he was dumped, roughly, onto the filthy ground of some random back alleyway. Fuck, where was he? Was he even in the same city?

He stared at the ground, eyes wide, nauseated and shaking, and too afraid to look up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone standing there, looking down on him intently, watching from the shadows. Frightened, the young Hardy tried to crawl away from the mysterious figure, scuttling blindly on hands and knees in the darkness.

"My, Jeffrey, you have certainly been a very _disobedient_ slave", a horrifyingly familiar voice abruptly intoned, "Gangrel is most worked up about it."

That simple declaration froze Jeff where he was, shaking, wide-eyed, and panting in fear.

The young Hardy glanced up through a curtain of tangled, wind-blown hair. Thorn was leering over him, a thoughtful frown upon his well-formed lips.

"Rise."

Without thinking, Jeff obeyed the softly-spoken command, firmly turning his panic-stricken gaze away from the hungry eyes of the vampire.

Thorn pushed him forcibly back against the wall, drawing a sharp gasp from the boy as he collided roughly with unyielding brick.

"Perhaps you recall the other night, Jeffrey. We were rudely interrupted", he said, caressing his cheek softly, menacingly, "I would like very much to continue what we began."

_Oh, fuck._

"Gangrel… he doesn't like others… touching what belongs to him", Jeff said softly, praying that this small reminder would make the vampire back off. Knowing that it wouldn't.

Thorn smirked down at his terrified prey. "Come now, Jeffrey. We both know that Gangrel is a fool", he said dismissively, "He is not worthy of mastering such a fine piece of flesh."

Jeff shuddered, looking away from those greedy, piercing eyes.

The vampire placed two fingers under Jeff's chin, sharp nails digging into tender flesh. He forced the young Hardy's gaze front.

"I, on the other hand", Thorn smirked lasciviously, "am a most capable master. Though, admittedly, not as _lenient_ as Gangrel."

Jeff watched in growing horror as the vampire's incisors lengthened before his eyes.

"Please don't do this", he begged, "Gangrel will fucking kill me-"

Thorn grabbed Jeff's hair roughly, wrenching a broken gasp from the boy. "Mention him again and there will be consequences you do not wish to deal with. Do you understand me, Jeffrey?"

"Yes", the young Hardy replied, struggling to get himself under some semblance of control, "I understand."

This seemed to please Thorn, who began moving in towards Jeff's bared neck.

Jeff froze in place, his eyes shut tightly, every muscle tensed and ready for the pain that always accompanied a feeding.

He waited, breathless, nerves on fire with the hated anticipation of it all.

When he didn't feel those teeth tearing into the soft skin of his neck, he cautiously cracked open one eye. What he saw did not comfort him.

Thorn was just _standing_ there. Staring at him. Rage written on his face. Rage burning in his eyes.

Before Jeff could react, before he could think, Thorn struck with a vampire's quickness, wrapping a hand around his throat, brutally wringing all the air out of his body.

"Who have you been talking to, Jeffrey?", the vampire hissed, quietly furious. Squeezing, tighter, _tighter_.

Choking, unable to breathe, desperately clawing at the vampire's wrist, Jeff's mouth worked in futility.

Thorn moved in close enough to Jeff's face that his frigid breath tickled the boy's feverish skin.

"What a stupid child you must be, believing you could hide this from us." Jeff stared up at the vampire, wide-eyed, frozen with uncertainty.

Cold lips brushed over the boy's jawline, feather-soft, threatening.

"I can _smell_ them, Jeffrey", he whispered, "On your skin, in your hair. You have been conversing with other vampires. With other… _immortals_." He spat the word as if it were a filthy curse. "You will tell me the nature of your discussions. You will tell me _who_ these intruders are."

Thorn squeezed Jeff's neck once more, drawing a garbled choking noise, something between a cough and a whimper. Abruptly, he released him, watching coldly as the boy stood there choking, coughing, trying to get air.

"I do not like to be kept waiting, Jeffrey", the vampire said lowly, dangerously.

Jeff stared, wide-eyed, unsure of what he should say. He couldn't tell Thorn he'd been talking to Antrim, the very vampire who'd consigned his master to exile. Gangrel could never find out about that. It would be his death sentence.

He opened his mouth. He would find a lie to tell Thorn. Any lie. Anything at all would suffice…

And then it occurred to him that there was nothing to say, because only the _truth_ would placate the vampire, and the truth…

It was not an option.

Undecided, terrified, exhausted, Jeff stood mutely, staring up at his captor.

Looking into the dark, rage-filled eyes of Thorn, Jeff could finally see his death reflected back at him. He welcomed it, he ushered it in. Let death come. Finally, in this disgusting alleyway, surrounded by garbage and darkness and anonymity, he would find his end. How sad it seemed, and yet, how very fucking appropriate, given the pile of shit his life had become.

"Look, I- I can't do this anymore", he whispered, his voice breaking, "I can't play these fucking games. So just kill me, if that's what you have to do. Get it the fuck over with."

Jeff looked away tiredly. He shut his eyes, waiting. _Waiting_.

Thorn didn't move.

It seemed an eternity that they stood there like that, human and vampire, in a silent stand-off.

When Thorn attacked, it came swiftly and without warning.

Jeff felt a sudden rush of air in the still night, the vampire's arm rearing back, readying to strike. The boy's eyes snapped open, just as a fist came crashing forward into his face. His neck snapped back with the force of it, as his body crumpled heavily to the ground. Consciousness immediately, blessedly, slipped away.

"You will pay for your betrayal, Jeffrey", Thorn stood there, looking down on Jeff, who lay there, a heap of blood and bruises, "I would kill you right now, but I am sure your master Gangrel would be most interested to hear about these new friends of yours. We shall have to see what _he_ decides to do with you." He began walking away.

He came to the mouth of the filthy alleyway. Glancing back, his sharp eyes picked out the pale, unconscious form of Jeff Hardy, lying there amongst the filth and the garbage, a deep bleeding gash upon his forehead. A strange mixture of lust and contempt flashed across the vampire's face.

"It is a shame that your treachery prevented us from taking our pleasure tonight", Thorn mused. Shrugging, he began strolling leisurely down the deserted, lamp-lit street. "Ah, well. These things do happen, I suppose." He smirked. "Though, I must admit that I am greatly looking forward to our _next_ meeting, Jeffrey. It should be something to remember…"

**Will Jeff ever come around and accept Antrim's help? Will Matt ever figure out what's going on? How does Gabriel fit into all this? Where in the hell is Gangrel? What's up with Thorn, and why is he such an insufferable dick? **

**FIND OUT THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS AND MORE NEXT TIME!**

**(oh, and please review. it would truly be appreciated.) :)**


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